THE SEARCH
by boriqua522
Summary: Nuke - Luke and Noah thought things were finally working out. Noah's surgery was a success and he was coming home to get back the love of his life. Damian Grimaldi had other plans. Can Noah and Holden get to Lily and Luke before they are lost forever?"
1. Chapter 1

_**The Search**_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters seen in ATWT, they are the property of CBS.

**Author's Notes: **This is my first story ….please be kind

**Rating: **This has a **K** rating, this rating may change

A month has gone by since Noah had left for Texas and away from Luke. Luke's family has had to deal with the drama of his father Holden being accused of his other father's murder. Luke's heart was broken when Noah decided he needed Luke to be his friend and not his lover, but he knew that he couldn't dwell on his loss with his father possibly going to jail. If the findings of Dr. Oliver had been correct then Damian was not dead, he had other things to worry about. How could he do this to Luke? He hurt him too often, and just when Luke started to let down his shield and began to accept Damian as a father. This was becoming too much like the last time Damian betrayed Luke.

He was 16 years old and had just come out to his parents. His mother was having a difficult time accepting that her son was gay and that was when Damian showed up. He made Luke believe that he accepted him and loved him unconditionally. Luke was so happy to have that acceptance from his birth father; even though he would never admit that he longed for it. The little boy inside him that loved his father, and wanted his acceptance, was thrilled. The teenager in him was still a little hesitant to believe that this man could accept him so easily. That was until the accident with his mother and the man from "camp" came to take him away. After his mother fell down the stairs and went into a coma, Luke felt so lost and guilty. His dad Holden was pushing him away and Damian was there to step in and take his place. After weeks of pain and turmoil, Luke agreed to go to Malta with Damian, only to find out that he lied to Luke. He never accepted him and he was the one who sent Ross Krieger to take him to that camp where they would make him "straight".

The pain of that betrayal stayed with Luke for years. He hated Damian for what he did, not just the betrayal, but the fact that he made Luke feel love for him. Luke began to feel like his son, only to be slapped in the face with his true feelings about how he thought Luke should be. Now it happened again. Damian lied to Luke, he hurt his mother and father and he said it was all in the name of love. That he loved Luciano and all he did was in the name of that love. Luke could only laugh at that thought. He knew what love was and this was not it. This was possession and that is the real reason he let Noah go. He knew that he couldn't hold on too strong, because Noah would just fight to get away. If he and Noah were meant for each other then they would be, one way or another. So if you love something, let it go, and it will return to you.

Luke knew that Noah was due back from Texas this afternoon, but he found out from Maddie and not Noah. It broke his heart that Noah wouldn't call him to tell him he was returning. Maybe this was the first sign that it was truly over. Luke knew that he couldn't be just friends with Noah, and hoped that Noah wouldn't ask him to be. It hurt too much to be around him and not be able to touch him or kiss him. He would have to deal with being in the same town, but he'd be damned if he let Noah see him cry ever again. He's cried enough in the past few months. If Noah didn't want him anymore, then he would find a way to live without him, no matter how much it hurt. Luke was headed out of the office when his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket and saw it was a text from his mother. It seemed odd; she was asking him to meet her at the docks on one of the Grimaldi freighters. Her text ended with "_Luke, it's important, please come, asap."_

He drove down to the docks and found the ship his mother told him to go to. When he boarded the ship he received another text, _"down the stairs, I'm in the third room on the right."_ Luke's instincts where telling him not to go, but he knew these text where coming from his mother's phone. As he walked down the hall, he found the door he was looking for. As he entered he noticed it was a small room with only one thing in it, a bed, and on the bed laid his mother, unconscious. Luke rushed over to his mother, taking her hand and feeling for a pulse. As he did this, the door he had just walked through was shut, and the person standing in front of it was supposed to be dead.

"_Damian_," Luke gasped. "_What have you done to her_?" Much to Luke's amazement, Damian smiled,

"_Luciano, your mother is just sleeping. Do not worry we'll have time to speak later_." Luke's anger could not be contained.

"_You son of bitch, do you actually think I'm going to stay here with you and talk. I'm taking my mother as far away from you as possible. And if you EVER come back I'll kill you myself_." Luke turned towards his mother's unconscious form and began to try to wake her. He was concentrating so hard with his task that he didn't notice that Damian had moved closer and that he was holding something in his hand. By the time he noticed it was too late, a sharp pain shot through his arm. He pushed Damian away and saw the injection needle fall to the floor. He could feel the drug working its way through his body. Instinct took over and Luke turned and ran out the door. He knew he had to get off this ship and get to his father. He made it to the steps when his legs began to give out from under him. Adrenaline began to pump through his body as he thought about his mother and what would happen to her if he didn't get help.

As he reached the deck, Luke realized that the ship was no longer docked; it was now on its way out of the port. Luke looked around, he had to hide, panic was beginning to set in and he knew that he had to keep his mind clear. As he ran, he found that his legs were becoming really heavy. He managed to find some large barrels to hide behind. He took out his phone and dialed the only number that came to him, Noah.

Unbeknownst to Luke, Noah had arrived back in Oakdale. He hadn't told Luke he was coming back, mainly out of fear that Luke would tell him that he had moved on and also because he wanted to surprise him. He realized while he was going through therapy that he wished Luke was there to help him. How could he have been so stupid? All Luke ever wanted was for Noah to love him. He didn't care if Noah could see; he just wanted to be there for Noah every day. Noah was a fool, to have pushed him away as often as he did. He only hoped it wasn't too late. He reached the Snyder home shortly after 5. He took a deep breath and knocked, shaking slightly at the thought of seeing those beautiful brown eyes again, seeing that radiant smile, with those beautiful dimples aimed at him. The door opened, but it wasn't Luke who greeted him.

"_Holden, hey_." Holden's eyes opened wide when he realized Noah was looking right at him.

"_Noah, you can see me_." Noah had to smile at the surprised look on Holden's' face.

"_Yeah, the surgery worked_. _I've been able to see for about a month now_." Holden smiled and couldn't help but to reach out and grab the young man in a hug. Noah, laughed and hugged him back, he had come to consider Holden as the father he would loved to have had. They broke apart when Noah's phone began to ring. He knew by the ring tone, "True Colors," that it was Luke. He flipped his phone open expecting to hear the beautiful voice of the man he loved, only to hear gasping on the other end. "_Luke, is that you_? _Luke answer me! What's wrong_?" In hearing the panic in Noah's voice Holden stepped closer to him, trying hard to hear what was being said.

"_**Noah…..don't have much time. Drugged….help us please**_." Noah was in a full panic now,

"_Luke where are you? Who drugged you? LUKE, please answer me_!" Seeing the panic in Holden's eyes, Noah hit the speaker button on his phone.

"_**Noah, my mom, Damian**_." Luke's breathing was becoming more erratic. Holden grabbed the phone away from Noah,

"_Luke, does Damian have your mother? Where are you son_?" Luke, could feel his eyes starting to close, a cold darkness was beginning to overtake him, but he fought it, listening to his father's voice.

"_**Dad……….please helllp, cannn't fiiight much mo**_.,."

"_Luke, you answer me! Where are you?_" Luke fought hard to keep his head up but was beginning to lose the battle. He lifted his head when he heard footsteps come towards him. He wanted so much to run, but his legs wouldn't move. As he looked up he saw Damian standing above him, a disappointed look on his face.

"_Now Luciano, son you shouldn't have run. I told you we are going to be a family. Your mother needs you." _

Luke fought his way out of the darkness that was drowning him to say "_**never be your son. I'm a …..Sn..yder. ILoveyouNoah.**_" Luke could feel the tears coming down his face, he tried to say something else, but his throat didn't want to work. So with the last ounce of strength he had he forced his mouth to move and said into the cell phone, "_**ship**_." Damian reached down and grabbed the phone from Luke's weak grip. He put the phone to his ear and heard Holden yelling.

"_Luke! Luke! Answer me, son please_," Damian smiled as he looked down at Luke's eyes as they slowly closed.

"_He's my son, Holden. He will never be yours again_,"

With that he shut the phone off and threw it overboard. Luke watched as his last hope flew through the air, right before all went black around him. At least he heard Noah's voice, even if it was for the last time. Damian bent down and picked up his son. He carried him down the stairs and into the room where Lily still slept. He looked at the two figures and knew that they were his family now and no one would take them away from him. Ever again.

Back in Oakdale, the phone was still in Holden's hands, making the constant beeping of a phone no longer connected to another. Though, neither he nor Noah could hear it. They were both in a state of shock; this couldn't be happening. Noah had his sight back and he and Luke would work out there problems; even if Noah had to beg for the rest of his life. Holden and Lily were finally free of Damian and their relationship was beginning to mend. Both men had tears in their eyes as they listened to Luke fight to stay awake. They could hear the panic in Luke's voice, when he mentioned his mother. When he said "_**I'm a Snyder**_," they could hear the struggle Luke put up just to mouth those words and it sent a feeling of pride through Holden. His fears that his son no longer considered him his father vanished that moment. Noah could feel his heart beating 1000 miles per minute. He knew panicking wouldn't help Luke, but with those last words ringing in his ears, Noah knew he had to do all he could to find his love and tell him that he loved him too.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as the shock wore off, Noah and Holden raced out of the house and to the docks where they knew the Grimaldi ships where docked. On the way Holden called Margo Hughes to inform her about what had just happened.

"_Margo, Damian's alive and he has Lily and Luke_." Holden was speaking so fast that it took Margo a minute to catch what he said.

"_Holden, slow down, please start over. Did you say Damian has Lily and Luke_?" Fully exasperated by having to repeat what he just said, Holden took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

"_Yes, Margo, Damian is alive and he has kidnapped Lily and Luke. He has them on a Grimaldi ship. Margo you have to get to the docks, we're running out of time_." Margo knew Holden, and knew that if he said Damian was alive and he had Luke and Lily then it was true. Margo gathered some officers and headed out of the station towards the docks, sirens blaring.

Noah and Holden pulled up to the docks in Holden's truck. Even before Holden put the truck in park, Noah was jumping out and running towards the ships, Holden running right behind the younger man. They reached the Grimaldi slips, and stopped, though both Noah and Holden had enough adrenaline running through them to run through every ship in search of their loved ones, they also knew that it would be a waste of time. Looking around they found the Grimaldi office and the harbor master and decided to start there. They ran into the office, finding one man working behind a desk. Noah ran up to him breathing hard and sweating even though the temperature outside bordered on 30 degrees.

"It's _vital that we know which ship Damian Grimaldi is on_." The man looked up towards Noah with a bored expression on his face,

"_I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about_." Before Noah could say another word, Holden had grabbed the man by the collar and had lifted him up off his feet and had his face only a couple of inches from the harbor masters. He had the man so tight around the collar that Noah could swear he was turning purple.

"_Tell us where Damian is or I swear I will strangle you with my bare hands, and dump your body where no one will ever find it_." The man's eyes opened wide. Noah could see the terror in his eyes, and looking at Holden's face he could see why. There was no doubting that he would do just as he threatened. Noah decided then to help Holden out. He knew the man meant what he said and he couldn't afford to let him, not if they wanted Luke and Lily back.

"_You better do what he says, cause, I'm not going to stop him. The two people we love more than anything in this world are on one of those ships, and they are in danger. If he doesn't kill you, I will_." With that the man tried to speak but found his voice was not working due to the strangle hold Holden had on him. Noah reached over and put his hand on Holden's shoulder, "_Holden, he can't talk if he can't breathe._" Holden let go of the man, and he dropped onto the desk he was leaning over, gasping for air.

"_The…Grimaldi…..ship…you are…looking for...is gone. It left port 2 hours ago_." Noah felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach; he couldn't breathe. He could see the same expression on Holden's face. It was one of pain and terror. They were too late. Why was he is always too late to help the man he loved. How could this be happening?

"_**Luke**_," was all he could say, before he felt the tears runing down his face. Holden saw the defeat in Noah's eyes.

"_No, you can't give up on him now Noah. Luke needs your strength now more than ever._" Noah looked at the older man and nodded, he couldn't talk for fear that he would begin to sob. Holden reached out for the young man and brought him into an embrace, just as Margo and the other officers arrived.

Margo walked towards Holden and Noah, taking notice of the man lying on his desk coughing and gasping for air. She decided it was best to ignore him at the moment.

"_Holden, Noah, have you found them_?" As she looked into their eyes, Margo could find the answer to her question without them saying a word. Holden told Margo what the harbor master told him, leaving out the fact that he got the information by nearly strangling the man. The harbor master, having finally caught his breath, climbed off his desk and approached the lieutenant.

"_I…want…to….press charges! These men accosted me_." Margo looked at the tiny wiry man and spoke carefully to him.

"_Sir, you have every right to press charges, if in fact what you said happened actually happened. Are there any witnesses to this, accosting?_" The man stammered and his eyes opened wide at the Lieutenants question.

"_No, but look at my neck. Can't you see the bruises_?" Margo leaned towards the man and inspected his neck.

"_From what I see, this could have happened at anytime today_." Just as the wiry man was about to respond, Margo put on her best poker face and continued, "_though, if anyone should be pressing charges it would have to be either Mr. Snyder or Mr. Mayer. According to them you knew about a ship that left here, with a known criminal and two hostages. Just how would you know that Damian Grimaldi was on that ship if you did not speak with him personally?_" The wiry man grew even paler then he already was.

"_I didn't know about the hostages. Mr. Grimaldi owns those ships, he didn't tell me what he was planning_." Margo smiled at the man, which in turn made him flinch.

"_Mr? What was your name, sir_?" The man swallowed, clearly uncomfortable with the Lieutenants gaze,

"_Andrews, Eugene Andrews_." Margo continued to smile as she stepped even closer.

"_Mr. Andrews, if I were to check your bank accounts, I wouldn't come across, say, a very large and recent deposit. Would I_?" Andrews lost all color in his face and then he began to weep.

"_I didn't know, really. He came to me and said he would make it worth my while if I was able to hurry the paperwork along, in order to get the freighter going faster."_ He was almost to the point of hysterics, when Noah who could take no more, grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him roughly.

"_Where was the ship going? Tell me, before I shake the life out of you_." Even Margo was surprised by Noah's action; the young man who was always the law abiding citizen and the clear head in the relationship, when Luke was always the rash and spontaneous of the two. Luke was always the one to lose his temper and Noah was always there to calm him down. To see Noah this angry was very upsetting to the Lieutenant. She could see in his eyes that if he had to, he would shake the man until he got what he wanted or until the man lost consciousness.

Holden placed a hand on Noah's shoulder, and began to talk to him like he did his horses when they were spooked.

"_Noah, you have to calm down. If he loses consciousness we won't get anything from him_." Of course Holden knew he was not one to talk about calming down, since just minutes before he was ready to strangle the man. He knew though that this was a side of Noah that didn't need to come out, because if he lost the part of him that Holden knew Luke loved so much, he would never be the same again. Noah released the man and stepped away, breathing hard trying to calm himself down.

Margo stepped up to the crying man and asked as calmly as she could, "_I need the manifest of the freighter. Where was it going?_" The man nodded and wiped his nose with his sleeve, he then turned and grabbed the paper work of his desk and handed it to the Lieutenant. Margo took the sheets, and told the man to leave before she arrested him for accessory to kidnapping. She didn't have to tell him twice, the harbor master turned and walked, well he actually ran away. Margo made a mental note to inform the DA about this man's finances. As she looked over the manifest, Holden looked at her. When she gasped he and Noah both hurried over to her.

"_What is it? Where is it going_?" They both said at the same time. Margo looked up at them and the sadness in her eyes told them it was not good.

"_They're heading out towards international waters. The manifest says that the ship is headed to the Mediterranean Sea._" Noah began to feel numb, he didn't know how he was still standing. He couldn't even feel his legs.

"_Margo, what happens if they reach international waters before we find them_?" He knew the answer to the question even before he asked it, but part of him needed to hear.

"_We won't be able to board the ship, hell we may not even be able to stop it. International laws protect it."_ At that point all Noah could hear was a buzzing noise in his ears. His head began to hurt, and his eyes were burning. It wasn't until this point that he realized he was supposed to have taken his headache medication and he should have been wearing his dark sunglasses. Even though it had been a month, it would still take some more time before Noah was fully healed. He grabbed his head and doubled over in pain. Holden was standing next to him when he noticed the sudden change in the young man's posture. He reached over just in time to catch Noah before he fell to the ground.

"_**Noah, are you alright. Margo call an ambulance**_." Noah tried to speak, he shook his head, and tried again.

"_**No, just….need my meds…..they're in my coat pocket**__._" Holden searched Noah's pockets and found a prescription bottle. He read the label and handed Noah the correct dosage. Margo had called for one of the officers to find some water for the young man. He came back quickly with a bottle from his car. Noah took the water and swallowed the pill. He closed his eyes against what little light there was left and laid on the cement holding his head with his hands. Holden lifted Noah's head and placed it on his lap. This young man was as much a son to him as Luke was, and he knew that he needed time for the medication to work. Unfortunately, time is what they were short on.


	3. Chapter 3

The Search – Chapter 3

LIMBO

**I welcome any reviews. This is my first attempt I love Nuke and hope that all the fans that read this will not be disappointed.**

Same day - 4 Hours later

Damian Grimaldi is not a man that gets caught unawares. He makes plans that leave no room for change. He knew that his wife and son would be hesitant about leaving Oakdale, so he made up their minds for them. Damian was always in control, even when things did not go as planned. Luke pushing him away and running up the steps was certainly not what he envisioned when he came up with his plan to drug his son. He knew how emotional Luke could be, but he did not underestimate his son's love of his mother or his fierce determination to protect her. Even if the person he was protecting her from was his own father. Damian blamed Holden Snyder for turning Luke against him. He always hated that Damian was Luke's real father, and he wasn't. It took Damian some time to accept that his son was gay, but he did. He even came to the rescue to help care for Luke's boyfriend Noah. Damian would even go as far to say that he was happy that his son had found another person to share his life with, even if that person was another man. Damian worked hard to make his son believe in him. To show him that he could be his father, more than Holden. When Holden was believed to be dead, Damian knew that this was his opening. He would come in and be there for his son and for Lily. He would take their despair and turn it to his advantage. His greatest wish had come true; Holden Snyder was out of his life, at least for a short time. When the police officer in Kentucky told him that the DNA was not a match to Holden, Damian knew that he had to find out the truth. He knew that Lily would leave no stone unturned until she found Holden, and he could not let that happen. So he went to Kentucky. He even got shot in the process, protecting his son from a madman with a gun. In that instant he knew that Luke and Lily would see him as their hero and he could take Holden's place in their hearts. He made his move and married Lily, hell he even got Luke's consent and for the first time Luke called him father. In that instant Damian felt a wave of emotion that could only be described as vindication. At last he was Luke's father and not Damian, all he longed for was happening. He would marry Lily and be part of her family. He would have his wife and son at his side. He would even eventually convince Lily to let him adopt the younger children.

All his planning and scheming came to a disastrous ending the night of his wedding. Holden Snyder walked through the door and his world came crashing down around him. Luke returned to calling him Damian and Lily wanted to annul their marriage. Damian had to do so much more scheming and lying to get Lily to see she should be with him and not Holden. He would do whatever it took to get his family back and he did just that. In the end it all backfired on him, but he was not about to give up. He would get what he wanted, no matter who he had to kill to get it. All this led to where he was now, standing at the foot of the bed where his son and wife lay unconscious. He looked at Luke and thought about the last time they saw each other, the day that changed everything. He told Luke he was leaving, and he could see worry and hurt in Luke's eyes.

"_Damian, what happened? If you're in some kind of danger._." The worry in his son's voice broke, and the wetness of his eyes gave Damian the sense that Luke loved him. Damian reached over and placed his hand on his son shoulder, he looked into his eyes, trying his hardest to show Luke that he loved him.

"_Luciano, you're my son, and I love you with all my heart. So I need you to know that everything I did, right or wrong, I did out of love for you and your mother. I'm begging only this Luciano, never forget how much I love you both_." Damian could see that Luke could not hold back the tears. He could see the pain in his son's face, the pain of losing his father. That made it worth all he had done.

"_You're acting like I'm never going to see you again_." Damian held onto his son and told him that when the time was right they would see each other again. He hugged him and said "arrivederci figlio mio." That was when he heard the word he'd been longing to hear from Luke. The one word that he thought he would never hear come out of his sons' mouth.

"_Dad_?"

With that one world, Damian's world was complete. He knew then that he could not lose his son. He knew that no matter whatever else happened he would find a way to get his family back. Looking down at his wife and son, he knew that they were limited on time to complete his plans.

Damian had arranged a yacht to meet them at a halfway point. He would have his family transferred onto the smaller vessel, and then they would be his. He would find a way to get Luke and Lily to accept their new lives. He would take them to the Grimaldi compound on his private island. There would be no place for them to run to. As the ship began to slow, he knew it was time. Damian paid the crew enough for them not to ask any questions. The power of the Grimaldi name was still evident in the fearful looks he received from many of the crew. Seeing the fear in the crew's eyes made Damian smile, he knew then that the Grimaldi Empire was still intact. Damian picked Lily up and began to carry her out of the room. He motioned for the muscle he hired to pick up Luke. The man grabbed Luke by the arms and hoisted him over his shoulder in a fireman's toss. They walked down to the cargo hold, where the ship had a special loading door. A platform would open and let in the large rubber dingy from the yacht. Damian carefully placed Lily in the dingy and helped the other man place Luke's unconscious body next to hers. They got on the dingy and were pushed off by the other crew. As the dingy sped through the water Damian couldn't help, but look on lovingly at his family. He could see the yacht anchored close by and knew they would be there soon. Damian couldn't help but think about the compound he would take his family to, the mansion was made of stone, mainly to withstand hurricane force winds during the rainy season. It was located on top of a cliff on about 5 miles from the pier where the yacht would be. He had already planned out the rooms in which his son and wife would occupy. Granted he knew that they would be hesitant at first, but he knew they would slowly come around, even if he had to force them too, because to Damian the ends always justify the means.


	4. Chapter 4

**This Chapter is rated "M" due to heavy male on male action. I welcome any review, they will be appreciated. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: agian I do not own these characters, this is all for fun not profit.**

* * *

**The Search – Chapter 4**

GONE

Holden and Noah stood on the deck of the freighter, neither one wanting to hear what they were being told. "I'm sorry Mr. Synder, Mr. Mayer, but they're gone." It took all of Noah's strength not to collapse onto the deck and cry. He knew he had to be strong for Luke, he knew that there was no way in hell that he would stop looking for him, no matter what the Coast Guard said. In the distance he could hear the officer's voice, "We've been told that the victims were taken off the freighter and put on an unnamed yacht. They are probably in international waters by now and there is nothing more we can do, they are truly gone." Noah was sure his heart would explode. He can't lose Luke, not now, not when he knew that they were meant for one another and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life making up to Luke the past 6 months.

No, he would not give up. Noah looked over at Holden and saw his own thoughts reflected in the older man's eyes. They would do all they could, no matter how long it took, they would find their loves. They seemed to have come to a silent agreement, and both men nodded to one another. The officer watched and knew that these men were not going to make his job easy, but he knew that if it were his love that was lost, he would move the earth itself to find them. Though, he still needed to warn the two men.

"Mr. Snyder and Mr. Mayer, I will not tell you what to do, but I will warn you that if you do something illegal during your quest and it happens to be on the water, I will have no choice but to arrest you. Now in saying that, I wish you luck." The officer turned away and smiled, he knew these two would be a force to reckon with, and he almost felt sorry for the bastard that hurt them.

**2 hours later**

Noah stood in the doorway of Luke's room almost afraid to take the step that would get him fully into the room. He took a deep breath and willed himself to take the final step. As he stood there in the middle of the room he could almost hear Luke's voice. Noah closed his eyes and let the memories of their time in this room wash over him.

"_Do I seemed scared to you know?" _

"_No, not really."_

Noah hadn't even realized he had moved over to the bed until he felt the mattress against his knees. He turned and sat on the bed then slowly lowered himself back against the pillows. He could still smell Luke's scent on the covers. Luke had a scent of his own, it was masculine but sweet, and Noah loved to inhale this scent whenever they were together. If he could bottle that 'Luke' scent, he would carry it with him were ever he went.

As Noah lay on the bed, he closed his eyes and thought back to the first time he and Luke had made love, though, it was more rough clumsy sex at first, neither really knowing what they were doing, but then it turned into the most amazing feeling Noah had ever experienced. How could it be possible that he may never experience that again? Tears were now flowing freely through Noah's closed eyes. He thought back to that day, to the fight that led to the greatest day of his life. Even though he remembered what they fought about, all he could see was Luke in this room, without clothes on.

_Luke was so turned on by the change in Noah. He had gone from the scared rational man he loved to this passionate lover to be. When Noah grabbed Luke and kissed him hard, Luke was sure he would pass out from lack of oxygen. How could he think about breathing when Noah was kissing him like this? Noah knew that Luke was turned on when he looked into those beautiful brown eyes and saw that the pupils had expanded and the look Luke was giving him, was full of lust and want. He had never wanted someone as much, not even Maddie who he told himself he wanted. Noah turned Luke around and continued to kiss him, at the same time he was backing them up towards the bed. Luke though was too caught up in the moment to even notice that they were moving. He did notice though that Noah was very hard. He could feel him pressed up against his thigh, and that only made Luke harder, if that was possible. It wasn't until the back of his knees hit the bed that he noticed what Noah had done. Luke smiled into the kiss that Noah was giving him. Suddenly, Noah pulled away from Luke, leaving Luke feeling empty and sad. 'What did I do wrong," Luke thought. He was about to ask when Noah ripped off his own shirt and then pressed himself against Luke again, reigning kisses along his jaw line then down his neck. Luke thought he would self combust at any moment, when Noah did something that made Luke moan. He bit down on Luke's shoulder, the spot where the neck ends and the shoulder begins. If Luke was hard already, this was going to make him explode. Noah inhaled Luke's scent as his mouth traveled from the neck down to his chest. 'God, how could one person make another feel so good? How could he have been so scared to do this, when now he realizes how stupid he was? He could've had this all along.' Noah, could feel Luke trembling, as he reached down and began to unbutton Luke's jeans. He grabbed the zipper and slowly lowered it. Noah could hear Luke's breathing becoming uneven, and he could tell that Luke was afraid to say anything, knowing Luke he probably thought he would scare him away. Noah felt like a heel for making Luke feel that he could possibly scare him off. Right now he knew that he couldn't stop, that being with Luke was the best thing he would do in his life. He reached into Luke's briefs and took hold of his cock. _

"_Oh my god Noah!" Luke cried out._

_Noah took this as a good sign and he began to get on his knees, in the process taking Luke's jeans and underwear off. _

_Luke was in shock to say the least. This was the last thing he expected to see, Noah on his knees with Luke's cock in his hand. "Noah, bubby, you don't have to do……" His words died on his lips, as Noah took Luke into his mouth. The wet warmth of it almost sent Luke over the edge. Noah had his hand wrapped around the base of Luke's cock, where his mouth could not reach. He had seen this done, and had had it done to him, but was amazed at how great it felt to give Luke this pleasure. He would have to admit to Luke later that he had watched some videos to get ideas for their special New Year's night that never was. Right now though, he was enjoying Luke's shock as he worked his mouth up and down Luke's cock, using his hand to pump Luke where his mouth didn't reach. He looked up at his lover and saw him looking down at him with so much love and gratitude in his eyes that he could feel his cock become harder. Luke closed his eyes and threw his head back. _

"_Noah, bubby, please you have to stop. I want you inside me when I come." At that statement Noah stopped. He looked up at Luke with surprise in his eyes. Luke smiled down at him, "I want you inside of me, Noah. I love you so much and want you to be my first and only." Noah stood up grabbed Luke's face and kissed him deeply; licking Luke's bottom lip asking for permission and Luke granting it. Their tongues fought for dominance, each taking turns exploring the others mouth. _

_Noah nudged Luke gently and they both fell onto the bed, Luke entirely naked, while Noah was still wearing his jeans. Luke looked as his boyfriend and laughed. _

"_We're not gonna get too far with you still wearing your pants." Realizing, that he was indeed still wearing them Noah laughed. He stood up from the bed and practically tore them off. Luke had scooted toward the head of the bed and watched his boyfriend strip. When he saw Noah's naked body, Luke couldn't help but swallow a lump in his throat. How was this going to happen? Noah was bigger than he thought, and wider. Though, they had on occasion groped one another, neither had actually seen the other naked. Now here they were, naked and about to do something neither had ever done before. Even though Noah had had sex with Maddie he had never had sex with another man. Noah looked at Luke and saw the worry in his eyes, and just as he was about to say they didn't have to do anything, Luke was in front of him and had taken Noah into his mouth. Noah, groaned as he looked down and saw Luke looking up at him, _

"_God Luke, you're so beautiful," _

_Luke continued with his work on Noah's cock, and was enjoying it when Noah grabbed him and pulled him off. He pushed Luke down on the bed and began to kiss him, their bodies flush against each other, their cocks rubbing together. Noah knew if they didn't stop that their first time would end too quickly. He looked at Luke, whose mouth was red and swollen from their kisses, and his cheeks were flushed. _

"_Luke, do you have anything we can use as lube." _

_Luke, looked over to his bedside dresser, "in there." Noah pulled open the drawer and saw a tube of lube. He looked back to Luke, who shied away and said "just in case." Noah laughed and kissed him again, this time though he put some lube on his fingers, put his hand between Luke's legs and began to work them into Luke one at a time. Luke moaned as Noah inserted his index finger into him, then gasped as that finger was joined by another, then another. He had to admit it felt odd, but good at the same time. But when Noah turned his fingers and hit Luke's spot, Luke's body arched off the bed. Noah, worried, removed his finger and looked at his boyfriend, who was now breathing very hard and whose eyes seemed to be dilated. _

"_Luke, God, did I hurt you?" It took Luke a moment to realize that Noah was talking, then he realized Noah had stopped. He looked up at his boyfriend, now lover, who had a concerned look on his face and he smiled. _

"_Hurt me, are you kidding, that was unfreaking believable. Do it again!" Noah laughed. _

"_I have a better idea." He positioned himself between Luke's legs, and spread them. Noah had never seen anything quite as beautiful as this. He opened Luke's legs and placed his cock at Luke's entrance. Noah placed Luke's legs on his shoulders while he grabbed the lube and rubbed it on his cock and squirted more into Luke. Noah began to push into Luke slowly, allowing time for Luke's body to adjust to him. Luke groaned and gasped as Noah began to go deeper. Luke could feel a sharp pain shoot through him, and he couldn't help but cry out. Noah had to stop. _

"_Do you want me to stop?" 'please say no.' Luke looked at him and could see the effort it was taking to stop when he did. He took a deep breath. _

"_No, please don't stop," Luke breathed out. Noah began to move again, he was fully sheathed inside Luke. He moved Luke's legs to his hips and leaned in and kissed his lover, kissed him like had never kissed him before. Then he began to move in and out of him, while Luke's body reacted and moved with him. As they both came at almost the exact same moment, Noah truly believed that nothing would ever top this. That their love could withstand the test of time. Luke was his now and forever and nothing would change that. _

_He was brought out of his thoughts when Luke kissed him hard and began to kiss his neck and chest, only then did Noah realize that they were still attached, he felt himself get hard again. _

"_Already; really?" Luke asked as he smiled at him. Noah shrugged and came down and captured Luke's mouth. They spent the rest of the afternoon making love until they were so warn out that they could barely make it out of bed and into the shower; where they spent another hour doing it again. When they came out of the shower and Noah took Luke in his arms and asked "are you happy?" The look in his lovers eyes said it all, but the words made Noah want to cry, "happy doesn't even begin to cover it."_

Noah was awakened from his dream by someone shaking his shoulder, for a moment he forgot where he was and what had happened.

"Luke?"

The voice that called his name was not Luke's though.

"Noah son, wake up, it's time to go." Noah opened his eyes to see Holden looking down at him with concerned eyes. Noah stood up and faced Luke's father. He could feel the wetness on his face and knew that Holden could see he had been crying. "We'll find them, now let's go." He put his arms around Noah and pulled him into a hug. They broke apart and nodded to one another, as if to affirm to each other that they were going to do whatever it took to get Luke and Lily back.

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**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Next chapter: Luke wakes up to a real life nightmare.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This material is for fun only. I do not own the characters.**

_**I want to issue a special thanks to Ditzybea. She is one of the best writers I have ever met, and a great BETA Reader. Thank you for encouraging me to write this and for being there when I needed editing. If you have not read her work you must really look her up, she has me hooked.**_

_**Thank you again for all your help. I can only hope one day to be able to return the favor.**_

The Search – Chapter 5

AWAKE

Luke was lying in his bed waking up after having hours of make-up sex with his beautiful boyfriend Noah. He opened his eyes and saw the most wonderful sight in the world, Noah's blue eyes staring down at him with so much love that Luke thought his heart stopped just from the sheer joy he was feeling. _"Hey_," Noah said to Luke with a bright smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Luke couldn't help but smile at the reference to the many times one or the other had awoken in the hospital only to use that catch phrase to great the other. It was their own version of "_I love you_," without needing to say the words. Luke reached up and caressed Noah's cheek as he brought his lips up to meet Noah's mouth and what began as a simple good morning kiss turned passionate and they began where they left off the night before.

They had spent the night making up for lost time. Noah had come back from Minneapolis to find out that Luke had gone to Kentucky and had almost been shot. The thought of loosing Luke to another man with a gun sent a sharp pain to Noah's chest, and the fact that Luke was so calm about it made him angry. How could he risk his life like that? Didn't he know that if something had happened to him, Noah couldn't have survived it. The only thought that kept running through his head as he heard Lily describe what had happened was '_**not again**_.' Then when Luke dismissed it and behaved like it was nothing grand, Noah exploded. Didn't he know how much he meant to Noah, how could he be so irresponsible and not think about what this would have done to him. Suddenly Noah was standing up feeling all the anger rising to a boil, he told Luke, "_When you do decide there is something you want me around for, let me know, I'll be at work_." With that he left Luke standing his living room, speechless.

When Luke showed up at JAVA and looked so sweet with the way he looked down at the floor then back up at Noah with his pouty kissable lips and said the words that swelled Noah's heart "_I want to move back home_," Noah hoped that he knew which home he meant, "_to the apartment_?" "_To our apartment_." Noah could swear he could hear songs going off in his head, just like those old musicals he would never admit to liking. Luke pushed his left hand in his pocket and kept his right hand on the counter, trying hard not to just reach over and grab Noah. He looked into his eyes hoping that Noah could read the love there was behind them, "_Do you remember when you asked me to come get you when I figured out what I want you around for_?" Noah couldn't help but smile "_That was only a few hours ago, so, yeah_." Luke leaned in towards Noah, swaying softly, "_Well, I want you around for everything_." Noah could not believe his ears; God how he loved this man, "_That's what I want too. Why do you think I act so crazy sometimes_?" Luke had to smile at that, but inside he was screaming, '_**he really does want me**_' all he could say though was "_I don't know, maybe I do make it harder on you_." Noah couldn't help but agree "_Yeah, yeah you do, but, you're kinda worth it_." Noah's mouth was becoming more and more dry, he found it so hard to swallow as he asked "_So when you gonna, when you gonna move back in_," god he was blabbering. Luke knew what his boyfriend was thinking, he was thinking the same thing, "_Well my bags are in the car. So when is your shift over_?" Luke could see the lust in his boyfriend's eyes, it had been a while since they were last together, "_Not soon enough._" The kiss that followed that phrase was a precursor to what was to come. That night they made up for lost time, over and over again.

Luke walked into the kitchen to get his regular cup of coffee, but something was off. He turned around to ask Noah, who was just behind him, when he noticed that he was gone, and a wall had replaced the bedroom door. The apartment became dark all of a sudden and Luke couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. A voice came out of the darkness, a voice he wished he'd never hear again, it called to him, "_Luciano…_" Luke could feel his body begin to shake, he put his hands on his ears and fell to the ground shaking, "_Noah, Noah, where are you_? _What have you done with him_?" "_Luciano, wake up, son_." Luke brought his knees up to his chest and tried to shut out the voice with his hands over his ears, but it seemed to be coming from inside his head, "_Nooo. Please no_." All of a sudden Luke's hands where away from his head, he couldn't seem to move them, nor could he move his legs, it felt like hands where holding him down, hands that did not belong to Noah. Luke was beginning to feel his body, unable to move his legs he was afraid that he had awoken to another nightmare of paralysis. But as he took time to feel his body, he could feel his leg muscles, which seemed to be cramped; he tried to move his legs, only to find that they were somehow restrained. Luke was beginning to panic; he tried to move his arms, only to find that they too were restrained. What was going on?

Luke could hear voices around him, he tried to focus, and found he could make out one familiar voice, the voice of his nightmare, "_Luciano, open your eyes son_." Luke fought to keep his eyes closed but could feel them beginning to open, almost against his own will. He opened his eyes, then closed them against the bright light above him. He opened them up again and tried to focus on something other than the light, he turned his head to the right, but found that it felt heavy. He tried to talk and noticed that his mouth felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls in it. He tried to clear his throat, but found it was so dry that his mouth felt thick. A hand came into his view and went around his head to the back of his neck, the hand lifted his head and up to a cup of water that was being held up to his lips. Luke drank greedily, he was soo thirsty, god he'd never been this thirsty, what was wrong with him. Luke looked up from the cup and saw the face of the person holding it. "_Damian._." his voice came out raspy, but the fear in it was very evident.

It was déjà vu; all of a sudden he was waking up in a hospital bed, with Damian holding his hand. That day seemed like a lifetime ago, but it hadn't even been a full year since the hit and run, kidnapping and the distant cousin from hell. Back then he hated Damian, but then he found himself drawn to this man, who shared his DNA, the man who he trusted when he was sixteen, when his mother wouldn't accept that he was gay, Damian seemed to understand. Months of pain followed and the true Damian came to light. He had tried to have his son sent to a deprogramming camp, then he tried to take him thousands of miles away from his home, with the lie that he was dying. Luke felt so grateful for all that Damian had done for him that he wanted to be there for him during his final days. When Luke found out about Damian's true intentions, and his involvement in the Ross Krieger incident, he felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He had opened up to this man, his biological father, the one that no matter what Luke said he wanted to be loved by. He had yelled and punched and cried, he decided there and then to forget about his blood ties, his father, his real father, Holden, had accepted him from the beginning.

Luke's eyes widened as he realized that he was strapped to a bed and Damian was looming above him. He struggled to get loose, but couldn't budge the straps that held him down. "_Damian….what the hell are you doing_? _Let me go_!" Damian, who had been leaning over straightened up to his full height, and from Luke's vantage point it was very frightening, but he was not about to let him see the fear in his eyes. "_Luciano, I can't do that son. Not yet, anyway. We have some work to do and when we are through I will be more than happy to have you by my side_." Luke tried again to struggle against the restraints, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "_You let me go! NOW!!! I'll never be at your side. My mother…_" Just then, Luke remembered what had been sitting in the back of his memory, "_My….mother_? _Oh my God, where is she Damian_? _What have you done with my mother? Answer me….DAMMIT, where is she?!"_ Luke dropped his head back onto his pillow; he could feel the tears running down the side of his head. He remembered everything, getting the text from his mom, getting on the ship and finding her unconscious in a room. He remembered trying to wake her up when he felt a sharp pain in his right arm. Luke looked up to see his presumed dead father standing over him with syringe in his hand. He remembered pushing him away and running, running up the steps that led to the deck above. Luke remembered finding his phone and hitting the speed dial to the only person he could think of, the one person whose voice he wanted to hear one last time. Luke could still hear Noah's voice, the panic as he begged Luke to tell him where he was. Now the tears flowed freely as Luke remembered Noah's then his Dad's voice just before he lost consciousness. How could he have been so stupid? To believe this man, who had proven time and again that he could not be trusted.

"_Luciano, son, look at me._" Luke turned his head enough to look into the eyes of the man who had taken him away from all he loved, again. He felt like he was 8 years old. How could this happen, again? He swore this man would never destroy his life ever again, and here he was tied to a bed after being kidnapped again. "_Where.. is.. my.. mother….Damian_?" Luke tried so hard not to cry, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing. They were tears of anger and despair, tears of defeat. Damian placed his hand on Luke's face, wiping the tears away. Luke only felt more anger towards this man, as he caressed his face, like a father would a crying child. He shook his head, trying to move his face from the hands that have drugged him and taken him away from his life. The hands that held him when he cried over the loss of his father. The hands that held his little brother and sister as they wept over that same loss. These hands turned vicious when they tried to strangle the life from his aunt's body, and held his mother against her will. Luke felt nauseous at the touch, and had to take deep breaths to keep from throwing up. "_Don't touch me…_" he spat out at Damian, "_you are not allowed to ever touch me again. You're not my father, you're a monster who disguised himself as a caring man, only to get through our barriers. __**I hate you!**_" Luke didn't expect what happened next. Damian's hand, the one that was just a short time ago was wiping away Luke's tears, came through the air and slapped him across the face. The force of it rocked his head to the side. The surprise of the hit alone kept Luke from talking. No matter what this man had done before, he had never physically been violent with Luke, which made this even harder to understand. Who was this man? Damian had always been so caring towards Luke, all he ever wanted was to get close to him, or so he believed. Now this showed Luke the side of Damian his dad always knew was there, the side he'd always been warned about.

"_Luciano…. I didn't mean to do that son, please forgive me_." Luke looked up to see the shock in Damian's eyes, apparently he let his temper get the best of him, and the slap surprised him too. Luke could still feel the sting on his cheek, but he would not give Damian the satisfaction of showing that it hurt. He looked at his father, "_My dad was right about you all along. You really are a monster._" Luke could see Damian's hand moving again, but he just stared at him, almost daring him to hit him again. He would not let Damian see fear in his eyes.

Damian, smiled down at his son, the look of rebellion, the challenge in his eyes, was making him proud. He knew that there was a lot of work to do, but Luke would become his son again. "_Luciano, I've brought someone here to help me. You may remember._." Luke watched as Damian stepped away from the bed and motioned for someone who was standing in the shadows to come forward. Luke could feel his heart stop, the fear that he tried so hard to control was back, his eyes widened and his body began to shake. "_You remember, Mr. Kreiger, don't you son?"_ Luke knew now what his father was up to, and fear began to take over, he fought against his restraints, praying that the adrenaline running through his body would be enough to help him break free. Unfortunately all that his thrashing around did was get the leather to rub against his skin and cut into his flesh. But Luke didn't care; at this point he would chew his arm off if he could. During his struggles Luke did not see the men come into the room, he didn't notice them until they were holding him down, and Ross Kreiger was standing above him with a syringe. "_Calm down Mr. Grimaldi, everything will be alright_." Luke tried so hard to fight the arms holding him, but it was useless. He felt the needle enter his arm, and the last thing he said before the darkness engulfed him was, "_my…name….is…Snyd…, never Grima..l._."

Damian looked down on his son's unconscious form and ran his hands through his hair. "_Soon, you will not even remember that name. You will be my son, not his_." As he wiped the hair away from Luke's eyes, he spoke to Kreiger without even looking at him, "_You can do this, right? I am paying you a lot of money to make him forget, and if you fail, you know what will happen to you._" Kreiger swallowed the lump in his throat at this obvious threat; Damian Grimaldi was never one to mince words. "_Yes, Mr. Grimaldi, your son will forget that part of his life. I will give him memories of you and your wife. He will believe that you have always been a part of his life. I can guarantee that you will never hear the word Snyder come from him again._" Damian nodded, turned and walked out of the room, he would not be there to hear his son's screams, he had to work on getting Lily to cooperate. That task alone will be hard enough. He trusted that Kreiger would get the job done. After all the ends always justify the means, and if Luke called him father and loved him as much as he loved Luke then it will all be worth it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Please review and tell me what you think. **

**This chapter has a lot of Lily in it, but it was necessary. We need to know what happens when she learns what is being done to her son, and what she would be willing to do to help him. I will get back to Noah and Holden in the next chapter. There will be more flashbacks of Luke and Noah before and after the break-up.**

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The Search – Chapter 6

**_RUNNING ON EMPTY_**

Holden and Noah had been on a plane for 12 hours, they were exhausted, but neither was about to take the time to rest. They had landed at the airport in Malta and were to meet with a private investigator that Lucinda had hired. He was supposed to be the best at what he did; finding and retrieving people. Some would probably call him a mercenary, his tactics left little to be desired. This man was an ex-marine, who had had two tours of Iraq and even volunteered for many dangerous missions. After his departure from the U.S. Military, he decided to go into business for himself, utilizing the many contacts he made during his many times in Africa and the Middle East. The man was very good at what he did and he was worth all the money he charged. At times, some casualties where a result of his involvement, but he always got what he went looking for, whether it was a missing child, taken by their parent back to their home country or a runaway teen. He was ruthless and highly intelligent, a combination that sometimes proved lethal. Holden would never have believed that one day he would be dealing with a man like this. He never believed that he could want someone to suffer the way he wanted Damian Grimaldi to. But he knew he had no choice, whatever the price, he would pay to find his family.

The man extended his hand towards Holden, _"Mr. Snyder, my name is Max, Mrs. Walsh informed me that you were in need of my services." _It was so unreal; this man who was a killer was shaking hands with a farmer from Illinois, who would have ever thought this was possible. Holden took the man's hand and shook it, _"Yes, Max we are in great need of your service. I assume that Mrs. Walsh has informed you of our situation." _Holden let go of the man's hand noticing the strength behind the grasp. Holden and Max turned towards Noah and Holden introduced him to the mercenary. "_Max this is Noah Mayer, my sons' boyfriend." _Noah, knew why Holden had introduced him that way, he was trying to see Max's reaction to the news. Max was ever the professional though he could care less about someone's sexual orientation as long as he got paid. Max turned towards the young man, he extended his hand in greeting, noticing how Noah had a reserved strength in his grip. _"It's good to meet you Noah…" _Max stopped mid-sentence looking at Noah in an odd way, _"Mayer? Are you by chance related to Colonel Winston Mayer?" _Noah's grip on the man tightened and his eyes turned dark with hatred. Being able to read people was a necessary part of his job and Max could see the change in the young man at the mention of his father's name. _"Yes, the Colonel was my father, but I'd rather not advertise it."_ Max knew when to let things go, he could tell the subject of the Colonel was not one the young man wanted to talk about. _"I see. Well then, let's get your luggage and get going."_

**Same Day – Grimaldi Compound**

Lily paced back and forth in the room she had awoken in hours earlier. Her mind racing trying to remember what had happened prior to waking up in this nightmare. Lily had received a phone call from a man from one of the Grimaldi ship hands; he told her that he had seen Holden fighting with Damian and had watched as Holden killed him then threw his body on the deck of the ship. Lily couldn't believe this was possible, but then she remembered Luke's conversation with the Captain of the Grimaldi freighter, and knew that something had happened to her husband. She grimaced at that thought, Damian Grimaldi was not the man she thought he was and she no longer considered him her "husband," hell if she never saw him again it would be too soon. As she paced she thought over and over again about what had happened. She had agreed to meet with the man to find out what his conditions were. He told her to board the Grimaldi Freighter called "Cara," that should have set off all her alarms, but all she could think about was Holden, and how she was going to do anything she could do to keep this man from telling his story to anyone else. She remembered boarding the ship, and getting a text message telling her to go down to the steps and to the 3rd room on the left, he would be waiting there for her. She remembered entering the room and then.... then things became hazy. She remembered turning at the sound of the door closing behind her, her eyes widening as she looked at the face of the man who was supposed to be dead standing in front of her. Lily was so shocked that she didn't think about screaming, or using her phone to call for help, hell, she was rooted to the spot where she was standing as he walked closer to her. But when his left hand grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him, she finally came out of her trance. "Cara" was the last thing Lily heard before she opened her mouth to scream and found that he had placed some type of cloth over her nose and mouth. Lily tried to fight but the cloth was wet with something that tasted extremely bad and seemed to make her very tired. She fought against the impending darkness, all the while looking into the eyes of the monster she married, and seeing him smile as she lost consciousness.

Lily began to tremble; she knew now what had happened. Something else though was making her chest hurt and her body shake. A memory that was forming was now coming to light. Lily remembered being placed on a small boat, she was coming in and out of consciousness and fighting whatever else he must have given her. As the boat crashed through waves, Lily was bumped into something lying beside her. She opened her eyes slightly and looked upon the face of her oldest child; he looked so peaceful sleeping there next to her. Her mind was screaming that there was something wrong, that Luke was not supposed to be there, but her body wasn't responding to her mind. She wanted to scream, to take hold of her son and protect him from his father, but whatever drug she was given was driving her back into darkness. The last thing she could remember was hearing Damian's voice again, this time in a gentle whisper against her ear, "we're a family now. No one will ever take either of you from me again."

Back in the room Lily began to scream, she knew that Damian had done the most horrific thing of all, he had taken Luke, and only God knew what he was going to do. She felt like she did when Damian had kidnapped her son when he was eight, helpless and broken. Lily knew her son, and she knew that he would fight Damian with all his strength and that would only get him hurt. She ran to the door and pounded on it with her fists and legs, kicking and screaming, hoping that someone would hear. She did this until her hands where as numb as the rest of her body, then she slid down the door frame and cried some more. Her body shook with her sobs, she felt as if her life had been ripped away, leaving a gaping hole in her chest. _Where is her son? What has he done with him? _These thoughts were going through her head as she heard the sound of a key being put into the lock on her door. She stumbled to her feet and stepped away from the door as it began to open. She watched as the man of her recent nightmares walked into the room. Lily felt a surge of rage run through her veins and saw red as she let out a primal scream and hurled herself at her captor. She didn't know how but she had managed to jump on him, kicking and punching every part she could reach. To her disappointment, the adrenaline rush only lasted a short while. Damian had been able to grab her by the arms and spun her body around and in the process was able to restrain her against his body. To her horror she could feel his excitement at the proximity of her body against his. She screamed and tried to fight to get loose, but he was much stronger then her, and she could not break his hold. "_Cara, stop fighting me. I don't want to hurt you, but I cannot allow you to keep hurling yourself at me. You are only going to end up hurting yourself."_ Lily's breathing was frantic and she could feel her body loosing strength. If she didn't calm her breathing she would hyperventilate and pass out in this monster's arms. She would not give him the satisfaction of carrying her to the bed. She slowed her breathing and relaxed in his arms. "_Where is Luke, Damian? What have you done with my son?" _Damian feeling that Lily was calmer now, turned her around and looked into her beautiful brown eyes, eyes that their son had inherited. He may look a lot like his father but he had Lily's soul. "_OUR, son is well. He is somewhere else right now, he'll join us soon. Don't worry Cara, I would never hurt you or Luciano."_ He raised his hand to her face and cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears that still ran down her face. "I want to see him, please Damian, let me see my son. I'm begging you. I'll do whatever you want, just let me see him." Damian's eyes darkened with desire at her words, and Lily couldn't help but take a step back, a step that led her right to the bed. She looked at the bed then back towards Damian, "I'll give you what you want, as soon as you let me see Luke." Inwardly she was screaming, but she would do anything to help her children. "_I'm tempted Cara, but Luciano is not ready to be seen yet. Once they are finished with him, you can see him anytime. _

Lily's eyes widened in horror, _"when who are finished with what? What the hell are you doing to my son?"_ She could feel the anger welling up in her again; she clenched her fists, trying to keep her voice calm. "_Damian, please, you have to know how this is hurting me. I need to know that Luke is all right."_ How could he refuse her, when she had such a bargaining chip. He nodded, took hold of her hand and they walked out of the room. They walked to an elevator at the end of the hall. Damian pressed the "B" button; Lily could only assume they were headed to a basement. Why would Damian have Luke in a basement? When the elevator stopped on their floor and the door opened, Lily was surprised to see a white corridor with a door at the end. Damian took her hand and put it in the crook of his arm, almost as if they were walking into a restaurant for a date and not towards a door that behind it held her son. When they reached the door, Damian opened it, and what Lily saw made her blood run cold. Her son lay on a gurney with some sort of electrodes attached to his head, and an IV attached to a vein in his arm. Lily broke loose from Damian's grasp and ran towards her son. She brushed the hair away from his eyes, _"Luke baby, it's me, mom. Please, baby wake up and look at me."_ She turned toward Damian and through clenched teeth said "_**what are you doing to him? Damian answer me, dammit, what are you doing to my son."**_ Just then she felt Luke stir under her hand, _"Mo….m, help me"_ he slurred. Lily could feel the tears flowing freely from her eyes, "baby I'll get you out of here, I promise." Just when Lily thought things couldn't get any worse, a voice from the past made her freeze. "Mr. Grimaldi, all is progressing as planned." Lily turned slowly, afraid of what she would see. When she was fully turned around, while leaving her hand on her son's head, she felt her heart stop. "_**Ross Krieger..**_ _**Oh my God, Damian, NO!!! NO, I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS!!!"**_ Lily quickly turned and began to pull the electrodes of her sons head and pulled the IV out of his arm. She was grabbed from behind by Damian, who pulled her away from her son. Luke had begun to wake more fully and could see his mother struggling, but couldn't find the strength to get up from the bed. He was no longer strapped down, but they had drugged him so much that he felt as if he were moving through mud. His mother had his hand in hers as she was yanked away. Luke sat up as much as he could and reached out to her. The last thing he saw before he was pushed back down was the image of Damian Grimaldi struggling with his mother who was frantic. Then watching in horror as he slapped her across the face, which stopped her long enough for Krieger to come up behind her and inject her with a sedative. Luke tried hard to call out to her, but couldn't get his voice loud enough. Then there was someone standing above him again, inserting another IV into his arm. The drug burned as it went into his vein. Luke could feel the tears trailing down the side of his face. "Noah…" was the last thing he said before he fell back into darkness.

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**To Ditzybea: Thank you for all you've done to help me bring this to life.**

**Next chapter: Noah and Holden get bad news**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know this chapter is a bit shorter then my last ones, but I wanted to set up Max, and what his real thoughts about Luke and Noah were. I'm hoping to put more of Holden in this story, expecially since he has been such an influence on the boys. I'll try my best to get chapter 8 up soon. **

**Please review, I really want to know what you think.**

**Thank you ditzbea for all your help.**

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The Search – Chapter 7

The Hunt Begins

The hotel room was dark and dirty. Noah could see the grime and stains on the walls and wondered what made them. It seemed an odd place to meet. With all the resources that Lucinda Walsh had, this hotel did not seem to fit into what she would want for her son-in-law and the love of her grandson's life. Noah was afraid to even put his bag down, for fear of what might crawl into it. He looked at the man that brought them to this place and saw him smile. "_Mr. Mayer, I know you're wondering what we are doing in an establishment, such as this, especially with the amount of money Mrs. Walsh is paying me. But I find it much easier to not be noticed by those who don't want to be noticed themselves._" Noah's expression must have given away his confusion at the statement, because Max smiled again and said, "_Mr. Grimaldi has a lot of influence, and a lot of people who are on his payroll. He probably already knows that you are here, but we don't want to alert him as to where exactly you are staying. By staying at a fine hotel, he would know exactly where to send the men who would kill you both. So by hiding in a place such as this where others are hiding as well, we blend in and leave Mr. Grimaldi guessing as to how close you are to finding him._" Noah nodded at the man his understanding. Max couldn't help but admire the kid.

From what he learned, because he always did his research, the kid had just recently had his eyesight restored and was still in the healing process. Max learned that Noah Mayer was the son of Colonel Winston Mayer, and what the Colonel had done when he found out his son was in love with another boy. When he met Noah at the airport he had already had this information but wanted to gage the kid's reaction to the question he asked. Noah's calm anger let Max know that this kid had more of his father in him then he'd like to admit. Max had served under the Colonel but did not believe in his methods of getting things done while they were at war. He was a cold man, a cold blooded killer, and Max could only stomach so much before he was finally released from his command. Looking at this boy, no young man, Max couldn't help but wonder how much of his father he really had in him, and when they would find out. He knew also that Noah was in constant pain. He could see it in the young man's eyes every now and then, but he could also see Noah take control of that pain and use it to focus. What he was focusing on, Max was sure, was Luke Snyder.

According to his research the boys had been through hell and back, and seemed to have come out whole. Max's informant told him about what the Colonel had done to Luke and to Noah's mother. He knew that they survived through that and became closer for it. He knew about the Iraqi girl and the sham marriage. Max remembered the Colonels dealings in Iraq, but he knew better then to let the Colonel know that he knew anything at all. The boys again survived through another episode involving Noah's father. They seemed to persevere and their bond grew stronger. Max was surprised to find that Noah had actually begun the enlistment process, but didn't go through with it. According to his good friend, who just happen to be the recruiting officer, Noah did not continue because he refused to hide who he was. Max, though, knew that Noah did not go through with out because he could not imagine being away from Luke and running the chance of never seeing him again.

All of Noah's actions, proved to Max that he was a person worth keeping an eye on. The accident that caused Noah's blindness, well that Max wasn't too sure about. It was vague information, all to do with jealousy and anger. Max was able to find out that after the accident Luke went above and beyond to try and help Noah, only to be rejected time and time again. This Luke kid must have been glutton for punishment from what Max found out, because even though Noah blamed him and kept pushing him away, he would just come back for more. Max had never known a love like that, and he wasn't sure he'd want to. How much pain can one soul take from another before your own is broken? Now, here he was in a grimy roach infested hotel room, willing to do whatever it took to get back the man he kept pushing away. Max knew that something great and powerful was holding these two boys lives together, and if he were a sentimental man he would say that destiny had something to do with it, but of course he would never say that out loud. These two very young men have had more thrown at them in their short time together then most people who have been together for decades, yet they kept coming out of it and back into one another's lives, if that wasn't destiny then he didn't know what was.

Holden broke the silence in the room first, "Okay, I get why we're here. So what have you found out?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, I promised to update this as quickly as possible. I didn't go through my beta this time, so any mistakes you find, please be kind. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. The next chapter will find Luke and Lily in a nightmare. Please review, I really value your opinions. **

**I'm still trying to figure out how to double space the sentences, so bare with me. Hopefully I'll figure it out by the next chapter.**

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_"Okay, I get why we're here. So what have you found out?"_

Max looked over at Holden Snyder. He had assessed this man as fighter. If he was being honest, when he was first contacted for this assignment and found out it was the son and wife of a farmer from Illinois that had been kidnapped, he cringed. He was going to turn down the assignment when he was told that the famer and his sons' boyfriend would be accompanying him on this job. The money offered was too good for him to pass up though, so he accepted the job then began his research. Max found out that Holden Snyder was a force to be reckoned with. He found out through his contacts at Interpol that Holden had been caught up in a very messy family feud that included Damian Grimaldi, his brother and Luke as a child. Through his contacts he was able to determine that Holden had saved Luke and was instrumental in bringing him home safely. This farmer was so much stronger then Max had expected. He went up against the Maltese mob and came out alive. Holden's question hung in the air as Max contemplated how to tell them something that would hurt and disappoint them both.

Max took a calming breath and began. _"Mr. Snyder, unfortunately not all I have found out is good news. What I am going to tell you will no doubt upset the both of you, but I want to know that no matter what you hear, you will not give up hope." _ Holden looked at Noah and saw the young man close his eyes in pain. He could tell that Noah was fighting a battle within himself to not let the pain from the recent surgery win. Noah opened his eyes and looked over at Holden, he could see the worry in his face, but he managed to smile and nod, as a way to tell the older man that he was fine.

Max watched the two men exchange a look, it was as if they were reading each other's minds. He couldn't help but look away and smile. This kind of bond was what would get them through some of the most difficult times ahead. Holden looked away from Noah and back to Max. _"So let's start with the good news." _Max looked at Holden and began, here was a man that came directly to the point, and Max had to admire that. "_The good news is your wife and son are still alive. My informants have informed me that they are being held somewhere isolated. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate this place yet."_ Noah sighed in frustration, running his hands through his hair, **_"this is the good news?"_** He could feel anger welling up inside of him. If this was good news, what the hell could be the bad news? Max looked over at the young man and raised his hand to stop him from asking anymore questions. "_Yes, Mr. Mayer, this is the good news. We know that they are alive, and we know that we can find them, even if it takes some time."_ Max looked over at Holden and Noah and knew that this next piece of information was going to be hard on both of them. "_As for the bad news, I have been informed that Grimaldi has had a specialist flown in to help with Lily and Luke."_ He let the words hang in the air, waiting for the question that he knew would inevitably come.

Holden looked over at Max, confusion on his face, "_what kind of specialist would Damian need to help keep Lily and Luke hostage?"_ Max looked at the men and knew that the name he was about to say would make both their bloods run cold. _"The specialist that Grimaldi hired is a man named of Ross Krieger."_ Holden felt his knees give and he dropped to the bed behind him, **_"no, no, no, not him, please God not him."_** Noah was still a little confused, the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He could see how this name upset Holden and he racked his brain trying to recall why it sounded so familiar. He repeated the name in his head over and over, until finally he heard it again, yet not with his voice, but Lukes'. A memory began to form of the time when Noah believed his father had died and Luke tried to comfort him.

He handed Noah dvd's _"what are these_?" Luke looked at him _"you're the film buff, you tell me." _Noah looked at the dvd's and read their names out loud,_ "Road to Perdition and The Godfather. Father's who do bad things, yeah I got it. What's your point?" _He couldn't help but wonder where Luke was going with this. Luke raised one more dvd so Noah could take it,_ "you didn't see this one." _Noah looked at the title and was a bit confused,_ "Luke and da?" _Luke must have seen the confusion in his eyes because he clarified,_ "Damian Griamaldi, my birth father." _Noah looked back down at the box in his hand,_ "you don't talk about him much." _He could see how hard it was for Luke to talk about his father, but he let him continue._ "Well, when I was a kid he kidnapped me to get some thugs of his back, and when I came out, not only did he try to de-gay me, but he lied to me and told me he was dying to get me to go back to Europe with him." _Noah, looked at the sadness in Luke's eyes, and he wanted so badly to take it away, but did not know how._ "He wanted your trust fund, right?" _He could see how hard this was on Luke, so he let him continue,_ "yeah, and I've watched those movies thousands of times, and in them I could see how much he loved me, and I could see all the fun times we had together. But as hard as I try, I can't see the part of him that wanted to sell me out. I can't see the greed and I can't see the cruelty." _

Noah remembered that after he broke down in Luke's arms, he asked him about the time that Luke had told him about almost being sent to a camp that was meant to make him straight. "_Was it your father who wanted to send you to that camp?"_ Noah could see the pain in Luke's eyes and was about to tell him that he didn't need to talk about it, when Luke looked him in the eyes and said, _"yeah, it was him. He had a man by the name of **Ross Krieger** come to my house to take me away to this camp, where they practice some form of brain washing and mind control."_ At those words, Noah's mind snapped back to the present where he could still hear Holden weeping into his hands. _"Oh my God, no, it can't be. That man is a monster, he's going to…." _ Noah couldn't even finish the sentence before he felt an excruciating pain explode in his head. **_"Luke…"_** was the last thing he said before the room spun around him and everything went black.

_"Noah, I love you so much_." Noah looked down at his boyfriend who was lying underneath him in their bed and smiled. _"I love you too, Luke. You are now and always will be my happy ending." _ With that he brought his head down to kiss Luke. It started out soft, and then deepened as Luke placed his arms around Noah's waist and brought their bodies closer. Noah could feel Luke's erection rubbing against his own. They kissed and grinded against one another until they were forced to come up for air. _"I've missed you, so much Luke. With my film and your job at Grimaldi shipping we barely even talk anymore." _ Luke smiled; it was a very sensual smile, his eyes twinkling. _"I don't think either of us wants to talk right now Noah. I have better things in mind that you can do with your mouth."_ Noah felt Luke reach down between their bodies and take hold of his now very hard cock. He moaned and brought his mouth down to Luke's neck. He knew exactly what spot would get Luke turned on the most. Luke arched his back and almost bucked Noah off, when Noah bit down on the muscle that connected his neck and shoulder. Noah smiled into Luke's neck, _"you're not playing fair, Mayer. I'm supposed to be the one driving you mad with desire."_ **_"Oh, believe me, you are,"_** Noah whispered into Luke's ear. All of a sudden Noah could feel Luke tense. He looked at his boyfriend and found tears in his eyes. _"Luke, what is it. Oh God did I hurt you when I bit you?"_ Luke smiled at Noah's anxiety over having physically hurt him. Luke knew he had to reassure him, he knew that Noah feared turning into his father, and hurting Luke. _"No, bubby, you didn't hurt me. I know you'd never hurt me. I was just thinking about how great it is to be in your arms again. I was so worried that we were growing apart and that you'd find me boring. But now I see how foolish I've been. I love you so much Noah, and want us to be together until we're old and grey and deaf."_ Noah could see the worry in Luke's eyes, _"hey, you have nothing to worry about. Hell the things you come up with in bed will keep me interested for a long time to come."_ He smiled at Luke, knowing that his boyfriend would have a retort to that statement, "_so, that's why you're with me, for the sex."_ Noah brought his mouth down and captured Luke's lips, _"that and you make the best burnt grilled cheese in the mid-west." _Luke gasped; he grabbed Noah's arms and rolled him over. He straddled his boyfriend, grabbing his arms and pinning them above his head. _"I do not burn my grilled cheese sandwiches, they're just very well done. As for the sex, well I guess if that is all you want from me, well then I can oblige."_ With that Luke reached behind him to grasp Noah's member in his hand. He was already hard, but Luke decided he needed to be taught a lesson. He slowly stroked Noah, up and down, all the while staring into his eyes. Noah thought he was going to combust at any minute. "Lu..k…e, pl..ea..se," is all he could manage to say. Luke looked at his boyfriend a smiled, _"please what, Noa?"_ _"Oh God Luke, I need you to … please just… I can't take…"_ Luke laughed at the incoherent words coming from his boyfriend's mouth. He decided that maybe he would put him out of his misery when Noah grabbed Luke's hips and rolled them over again. Now he was in control, but at this point there would be no torture he just wanted to be inside Luke. He wanted to feel the sensation of entering Luke's tight body and giving him all the pleasure he could muster. Noah reached over to the night stand and grabbed the lube. He could see the lust in Luke's eyes and knew that he was ready for him. He squeezed the lube onto his palm and then rubbed it on his cock. He took some and began to ready his boyfriend, when Luke arched off the bed and cried out, "_Noah, please, I'm so ready for you. Just do it, I need to feel you inside me, **NOW!**"_ Noah need no more incentive, he entered Luke in one swift motion, making them both cry out in pleasure. _"God Luke you feel so good."_ He stopped, giving his boyfriend time to adjust to him. "_Noah, please baby move, I'm okay._" With that Luke thrust his hips up and made Noah go even deeper into him. "**_ARRGGHHH_**_… Luke, if you do that again this going to end before it's begun._" Noah pulled slowly out of Luke, only to thrust back in just as slowly. He could feel Luke trying to get him to move faster. "_Noah, if you don't move faster, I'm going to die right here and now._" Noah laughed and began to quicken his pace. He thrust into Luke hard and deep, eliciting noises from his boyfriend's mouth that just made him impossibly harder. Luke began to meet Noah's thrust. Then Noah came down and captured Luke's mouth and began to thrust his tongue in the same rhythm. Luke came first, screaming his orgasm into Noah's mouth, his body clenching around Noah's cock. With two final thrust Noah was also coming, he thought it would never end. He was coming harder and longer than he ever had. Noah collapsed on top of Luke and lifted his head enough to look into his boyfriends eyes. What he saw there made him want to cry. _"You're my life Luke. I love you more then I could have ever imagined possible." _ Luke smiled at Noah and tried his hardest not to cry, but failed miserably. They kissed again before Noah pulled himself out of Luke and laid down next to him. They held each other that night, not knowing that the next day would change their lives forever.

A flash of white and Luke's voice screaming his name where the last things Noah would remember about that day. Noah woke up in a cold sweat, **_"Luke?"_** He looked around and took a moment to get his bearings. He saw a dingy room with stained walls, and a stale smell in the air. _"Noah, son, are you alright?"_ Noah looked over and could see Holden sitting up in a chair next to the bed he was lying on. It all came back to him in a rush of emotions. He tried not to cry but the tears would not be kept at bay. Holden moved onto the bed and held the young man that won his son's heart. All the while that Noah had been unconscious he could hear him muttering, **_"I love you so much Luke. Please don't go." _** It broke Holden's heart and he knew that once Noah woke up he would not want anyone to see him breakdown, so he sent Max to go and get Noah some medicine for his headaches. Holden pulled away from Noah, "_hey, we're going to find them, and we're going to get them back."_ Noah looked at Holden and knew that the older man believed what he said. _"What about Krieger? Holden, Luke told me what this man does. What is he going to do to Luke? When we find them, will he still be Luke?"_ Holden stood up, _"you can't think this way Noah. You have to be strong for Luke, you know he'd want you to." He raised his hands in the air in an exasperated motion, "come on, after all you two have been through, do you honestly believe that this man can change the way Luke feels about you. No, he can't! My son has loved you since before he even knew what true love was. You two have grown so much together, and you will find your way back to one another."_ He sat back down on the bed, _"Noah, you have to promise me that you won't lose hope. We'll get them back, and Damian will pay for what he's done."_ Noah could see the threat in Holden's words; the young man knew that if Holden Snyder got a hold of Damian Grimaldi, Damian may not make it out alive. It made him shudder at the thought. This was one of the most caring men he knew, and the thought that he could kill someone made him sad. Maybe he could prevent it. Oh, Damian would pay, but not at the cost of Holden Snyder's soul.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay in updating.**

**This chapter is a little more violent then the others so be warned. It took a little longer then I expected for me to get through it. I hope that you will like it and give me your reviews. **

**As I said this chapter has some very violent images, so if you don't care for that then please don't read. I will say that it will get less violent after this chapter but still full of angst. ****

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The Search – Chapter 9

**Waking into a Nightmare**

Luke could see a light at the end of a long tunnel. He could hear a voice calling his name over and over again. God how he wanted that voice to shut up, he didn't want to look into the

light it hurt too much. But try as he may his body was not listening to his mind and it was acting of its own accord. He could feel his eyelids moving rapidly, they were trying to open, but

every time he cracked them open a bit, the light would be so bright that he would shut them again. He tried to speak, but his mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls, a sensation that

seemed very familiar to him. Right now, though, was not the time to think about it. He tried once more to open his eyes and winced. Luke could hear voices around him; one in particular

was very commanding and very familiar. 'Where do I know that voice from? Why can't I open my eyes?' Luke could hear his voice in his head but knew that he still was unable to

physically say the words. The voice was telling someone to dim the lights, "it hurts his eyes, dim those damn lights, now!" That man's voice was thickly accented and Luke couldn't help

but wince at the pain whenever he tried to connect the voice with a face in his memory. It was as though his mind didn't want to cooperate. He was still stuck in some kind of fog that he

couldn't get clear of.

The lights began to dim and Luke could open his eyes a little further without too much pain. As he tried to focus on the ceiling above him, the voice spoke again, _"Luciano, son, look at me." _

Luke turned his head to the side and began to make out a blurry shape. The blur began to take shape, and for a moment Luke couldn't figure out who he was looking at. Then all of a

sudden the fog lifted and Luke knew with dread whose face he was looking at. **_"Damian!"_** With that one word, Luke's body filled with adrenaline and he tried to jump out of the bed he

was lying in. To his surprise Luke found he couldn't move his legs. Panic began to overtake him, _"no, no, not again, this can't be happening again."_ Luke let out a guttural cry as he pounded

on his legs, trying to feel. Hands came out of nowhere and grabbed his wrists, pulling them away from his legs. More hands grabbed at his shoulders and pushed him back down onto his

bed. Luke tried so hard to fight, but his body seemed to run out of adrenaline and give up. He was breathing hard and crying as that voice he knew so well came back, _"Luciano, you have _

_to calm down. This is hurting you more than anything son. Please Luciano, look at me…."_

Luke turned his head towards the voice. His vision slightly blurred from the tears still streaming from them. Damian was looking at Luke with love in his eyes, and something else,

something Luke couldn't quite get his muddled mind to process. _"Damian, where am I? Where's my family, and…."_ Luke shook his head, he knew someone was missing, but who; god his

head felt so thick. He shut his eyes tight, feeling the tears falling down the side of his face. He began to see something; blue, yeah that was it, he was getting there. The harder he tried

the more his head hurt, but he didn't care, there was something very important, no someone very important that he was forgetting. Then like a flash of lightning it came to him, blue eyes,

the color of the sea on a clear day. _"Noah! Damian, where's Noah? Oh, my god, how could I forget him?_" Luke looked over at his father and saw sadness in his eyes. _"Damian, what aren't _

_you telling me? Where is he and where the hell is my family? If I'm in the hospital they would be here."_ Of course, a hospital could be the only explanation to what he saw around him. It

was a sterile white room with monitors and machine that seemed to be attached to him. Luke had been in enough of these rooms to know one at first glance.

Damian looked down at his son and knew he had to word his answers right. He knew that Luke would not accept his word right away, but he also knew that Krieger had done all he

could and that Luke would be more susceptible to the story Damian would tell him. "_Luciano, you are in a hospital in Malta."_ Watching his sons' eyes open wide with shock and fear, Damain

proceeded, cutting Luke off before he could say anything. _"Son, I will tell you more, but you need to rest."_ Damian knew Luke better then Luke would ever know, and so he used that to

his advantage. He knew that Luke would not let him stop there. "**_NO_**_! Damian, tell me what happened to my family and to Noah, now!"_ Damian, exhaled. He looked at Luke and put on

his best façade. _"Luciano, you have been in a coma for 3 years. Your family was tragically killed and you and your mother were the only survivors."_ Luke felt his heart stop. _'**No this can't be **_

_**true, how can this be true.' **_

He began to shake as a primal scream erupted from his mouth. The hands were back, they were holding him down as he thrashed and screamed. A warm sensation began to pass

through his body and he began to feel heavy, he looked over and watched as a nurse inserted a needle into his IV. "Da..mia..n." he slurred "please, tell …me… just… a nightmare…

please." Whatever drug they gave him calmed him down enough for him to look over at his father and plead with him that he was lying. "_not possible.. Noah and I have been together for 3 _

_years. How could I have been in a coma? You're lying, you always lie."_ Luke turned his head away from his father, he couldn't look at him. _"Son, I'm sorry, but you have to know."_ Luke

couldn't look at him, the tears were flowing freely and he didn't want Damian to see how much he hurt. _"Luciano, the day Noah brought his father to meet your family."_ That got Luke's

attention. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He was so nervous about meeting the Colonel that he stumbled through his greetings and acceptance of the Colonels apology.

He once again looked at Damian, _"yes, I remember that day."_ Damian took a deep breath, it seemed to Luke like he was trying his hardest not to cry. _"Noah's father left and Noah stayed _

_behind to spend more time with you. Well, your mother and sister came home early from their girls scout camping trip. You and Noah were at the pound when it began."_

Luke could hear a popping noise in his head. It sounded like fire crackers being set off, but then the noise was combined with something that made his blood run cold, he could hear

screaming, _'no, not the children, please…'_ Luke brought his hands up to cover his ears, in hopes that the screaming would stop, but it didn't. _'Luke run'_ it was Noah's voice he heard this

time. He shut his eyes, pressing them shut tight hoping not to see what he knew would be there.

_The popping noise was coming from the house, as well as the screams. Luke and Noah had decided to take a walk by the pond. They were holding hands and kissing when all hell broke loose. __Luke couldn't place the noise he was hearing, but when he looked at Noah to ask him what he thought it was, he saw terror in his eyes. Noah grabbed Luke by the arms and swung him around to __face him. **"Luke, I need you to run. Go towards the trees and hide. Please Luke do what I say.." **He was about to ask why when he heard the sound that stopped his heart, **'no please, not the children…please they're just babies.' **Luke's mind didn't even register that he was running. He couldn't hear Noah behind him begging him to stop. Luke ran into a nightmare. He ran into the kitchen and slipped on something wet on the floor. He began to wonder if someone had dropped water when he brought his hand up to his face and found it was stained red with blood. It seemed like it took his brain a while to register that the blood was coming from somewhere close by, from a body lying on the kitchen floor not moving. Luke tried to scream but found he had no voice. His body began to shake as he crawled to the body of his Grandma Emma lying on her kitchen floor staring at nothing. He reached out with his bloodied hand and touched her cheek. All of a sudden arms were around him. He screamed and tried to break free. _

**_"Luke, Luke, please it's me.. Noah, please Luke stop fighting me."_**_ Luke could feel his body give and he slumped into Noah, crying and screaming in agony. When he opened his eyes he saw in horror that there were others in the kitchen. His little sisters where still at the table where they had been coloring. Noah grabbed Luke's head and pressed it against his chest, trying desperately not to look at the scene in front of him. That's when Luke heard the voice of pure evil. **"Stay away from my son."** Noah turned and placed himself between Luke and his father. "**Noah, this boy has you all confused. Step away from him, let me finish wiping away these perversions to nature."** Noah turned slightly towards Luke, he took his face in his hands and kissed him deeply. **"I love you Luke Snyder, I have since the first day I met you." **Luke looked into those blue eyes and knew what his love was going to do. But before he could stop him Noah turned and ran at his father. The momentary surprise took the Colonel off guard. Noah and he fought with the gun the Colonel was holding. Then the sound that Luke would never forget happened. A shot rang out between the two men. Luke couldn't move. He watched as Noah turned towards him, his blue t-shirt becoming red around his stomach, as his life flowed out of him. Luke reached out a trembling hand as Noah reached out towards him. He caught Noah as he fell. **"Lu…k..e, I'm sorry…I couln….kee…you…saf….I love you, always will…."** With that Noah closed his eyes and his head fell towards Luke's chest. Luke felt the scream more then he heard it, as his soul was being ripped out of his body. He looked up in time to see the Colonel point the gun at him, **"this was your fault, you turned him against me. This was all your fault." **He just looked at the Colonel, what was there left to live for anyway. _

Luke's eyes opened wide, he couldn't breathe. His body began to shake uncontrollably and he felt as if it would break in half at any moment. He could hear muffled voices, feel hands on

his body holding him down. He could hear Damian, _"do something, dammit, he's having some sort of seizure. Do something, **NOW**!"_ Luke felt more warmth envelope his body as he was

pulled under into darkness. The last thing he saw when he closed his eyes was blue. The bluest eyes you would ever see looking at him lovingly.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Search – Chapter 10**

**RESCUE MISSION**

Noah found himself in a small boat in the middle of the night. The boat was quietly gliding through the water towards the beach. The beach that is part the island where his Luke was

being held captive. Noah saw nothing but darkness around him, there was no moon and the stars were hidden by clouds. Even the water was black. As their boat came closer to the

shore Noah could see a small light on the beach. It seemed to be moving left and right, as if someone was holding it and signaling their boat. Noah knew Max had contacts on the island,

but was still surprised at how stealth everything seemed to be. He never imagined that he would be in this situation. He was a film student, a friend, a boyfriend, hell he served coffee at

a local coffee shop for 2 years. Now here he was in the middle of the Mediterranean in a small boat in the middle of the night, sneaking onto an island full of men with guns. No matter

how hard he tried he couldn't quite wrap his brain around this situation. All he knew was that Luke was somewhere on that island, and that he needed to find him and tell him how much

he loved him, and beg him to forgive his stupidity. Noah knew that he would do what he had to in order to achieve that goal. His father had taught him how to fire a gun and how to

handle himself in hand to hand combat. His father taught him things that would help him become a man in his eyes, things that would help him in this situation. How ironic, that the

lessons the Colonel had taught him would help him save the _**man**_ he loved. The Colonel probably wouldn't appreciate the irony, but Noah actually smiled when he thought about it.

Noah was brought of his thoughts by Max, _"Mayer, snapp out of it. Where ever you are you need to keep your focus here. Do you understand me?" _Noah looked over at Max and

nodded. He would not mess this up, Luke needed him whole, and he would be there for him. He felt an arm on his shoulder, and turned his head to look at Holden. He was smiling at

Noah, looking at him, as though he knew what he was thinking. _"It's alright son, we'll get them home soon."_ Noah couldn't find the words to express how much he appreciated the way

Holden spoke to him, how he reassured him. He just smiled and nodded. They reached the shore and Noah jumped out of the boat and helped push it onto the sand, his mind racing, _"one _

_step closer to my love….I'm coming for you Luke." _

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**__**Meanwhile in the compound**_

Luke woke up to the feeling of someone touching his hair. He opened his eyes slowly, turning his head to the side where he knew the person who was touching him was. As his eyes

adjusted to the light the figure became more pronounced. Luke gasped, as he saw the face of his biological father. Tears stung his eyes and slid down his face as he shook his head in

denial…"_Damian, no.. this isn't happening. It was just a bad dream, I'm not really here, I need to wake up….I will wake up and find Noah in bed next to me."_ Luke saw pity in his father's eyes

and that alone brought forth anger that was seething inside of him. _"Luciano, please you have to accept the truth. I wouldn't lie to you son."_ He kept stroking Luke's hair while he talked in a

soothing voice, almost like he was trying to tame a wild animal into trusting him. Luke's anger subsided and he felt himself fighting to keep his eyes open. He turned his head to the other

side of his bed and saw a nurse standing at his I.V. injecting it with a clear fluid. _"Not again, please, I don't want to sleep again."_ He turned towards Damian, _"please… tell her to stop…please. _

_No more dreams, I never want to dream again….it hurts too much."_ Tears flowed freely from his eyes and Luke couldn't fight the drugs any longer. He was between sleep and consciousness

when he heard Damian, _"it's alright, son, I'll take care of you. We're a family now and nothing will take you from me again."_ Luke was consumed by darkness once more.

All of a sudden the darkness lifted and he was at the farm. The smells and sounds of Christmas surrounded him and someone was smiling at him.

* * *

He could see the worry in Noah's eyes, as he stood there looking out at the barn where he had just _**walked**_ from, _'__Luke I promised your dad I wouldn't let you get too tired.'_

He couldn't help but smile at Noah, teasing him, _'come on, I am the furthest thing from tired. I could walk all the way to Chicago and all the way back.' _

'_Okay, well then why don't we walk together to the pond tomorrow?'_ Luke could see that Noah was not going to be deterred by his reassurance that he was fine. Oh, how he loved to see the way Noah looked at him, he couldn't help but grab onto Noah's jacket, not for support but just to touch a part of him.

As Luke moved around Noah, releasing his hold on his jacket, he decided it was best to change the subject, lest he grab hold of Noah and kiss him deeply…'_okay, so are you ready for the chaos to begin? Don't even try to think about sleeping past 6 in the morning. Last year Natalie literally pulled me out of bed.'_

He could see the excitement in Noah's face and could hear the happiness in his words... _'I'm excited about it, I like chaos, Christmas with my father was very orderly.'_

Luke looked away and down at his feet, he didn't want to think about the Colonel at this happy time_…'I don't want to talk about that.'_

He could see that Noah felt the same way… _'yeah, actually I…..I don't either, let's not.'_

Luke watched as Noah reached into his inside jacket pocket, as he said his name with a slight tremble in his voice_…'Luke?'_

He could feel the butterflies stirring in his stomach, fear beginning to take over, _'yeah?'_

Luke could tell that Noah was nervous, he was staring at his hands, hands that were now holding what he had pulled out of his pocket…_'growing up with my dad, um, well, we never talked very much, but we definitely didn't talk about…'_

Luke tried to reassure him, he knew how hard it was for Noah to express himself, and he didn't want to force him into doing something he was not comfortable with, so he placed his arm around Noah, showing him that he didn't need to say anything, Luke knew already…. 'look, look, look…it's okay, it's okay…. I know I talk enough for both of us…'

Noah though would not be deterred and it scared Luke to death.. _'but, there's um … there's something I need you to know.' _

Luke looked down at what Noah was handing him, his hand slightly shaking, he took what appeared to be a card inside an envelope and opened it. _'Luke, I wish I had your way with words but I don't. Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I pushed you away. Being with you has made me happier than I've ever been. merry Christmas, love Noah.'_

Luke could feel the knot in his throat as he read these words of love from Noah. It was the most wonderful feeling he has ever had. Luke knew that he would never read anything so wonderful ever again. He knew too, how hard this must have been for Noah… _'do you mean that?' _

Noah nodded, still not looking at Luke directly, _'every word.'_ Luke couldn't help but smile as he placed his chin on his **boyfriend's** shoulder and teased…. _'so….you can write it, but you can't say it.'_

Luke could see how Noah battled with himself, still not able to look at Luke directly, _'it's not something we really grew up saying in my house… I never really felt comfortable….'_ As he stumbled through his words, Luke could see the determination in Noah's face as he turned to Luke and looked him right in the eyes, _'you have to know how I feel about you..'_ God, how Luke wanted to just take his face in his hands and kiss him senseless, show him how much he loved him too. But all he could do was nod at his boyfriend, momentarily speechless.

As Luke and Noah walked back into the house, Luke noticed the mistletoe that was hanging over the archway leading to the pantry. He led Noah towards it, _'look up.'_ They both laughed as they realized just where they were standing. Luke couldn't hold back any more, '_you're card, um… when I first came out, it was fine, but I was lonely. I looked at Will and Gwen and Casey and Maddie, and thought, that is something I am never going to have. Not just the attraction, but, I don't know…just the feeling of walking into a room and having somebody who is happy to see you. You know….not having to say everything or spell everything out, but still having somebody who knows what you mean. And I think … I think these feelings have a word…..and you don't have to say this back… you don't have to say this back, but, I love you Noah…I'm sooo in love with you.' _

Luke could see the struggle in Noah's face, he knew that Noah loved him, and he really didn't expect Noah to be as open as he was. Luke knew that he wore his feelings on his face, and that for Noah this was a foreign concept. He just wanted Noah to know how much he loved him. He wanted him to feel his love. Luke watched as Noah pursed his lips, fighting with himself to say something back to Luke's declaration of love, _'Luke…..same here?'_ Luke couldn't help but laugh at Noah's statement. He knew this was a giant step for him, and he knew that someday Noah would utter those words to him, but for now he was satisfied. They leaned into each other, Luke holding himself up with his cane, until he felt Noah's arms wrap around his waist. He knew Noah would hold him up as long as he needed. Their lips barely touched at first. The kiss was soft and inviting. Luke looked up to see Noah's blue eyes darken with something he'd never experienced before, lust. Noah brought his head back down and at the same moment raised Luke up and pressed him flush against his body. This kiss was different than any they had ever had. Noah sucked on Luke's bottom lip then passed his tongue over it asking for permission. Luke was more than happy to give it. He opened his mouth and heard Noah moan as their tongues connected. He wasn't sure if he was moaning as well, but he knew that he wanted to get closer, and it seemed that Noah had the same idea, as he pulled Luke tighter into his embrace. He could feel how much Noah wanted him; he could feel it against his hip, as he was sure Noah could feel his desire. It seemed as if Noah was trying to climb inside of Luke through his mouth. The sound of a door opening broke them apart, and they both turned red at the sight of Luke's father catching them in such a compromising position.

* * *

Luke woke with a start. He was still lying in the hospital bed, and that realization brought tears to his eyes. "_A dream…it was all a fucking dream. Oh Noah, why… why couldn't we have had _

_that life? I miss you so much. Please…tell me it was real…tell me you loved me too. Pleeease." _With that he couldn't hold back any longer, his body began to shake with uncontrolled emotions.

He cried in agony and couldn't seem to stop. What he didn't know was that from behind the large glass in his room stood Damian and the man who stole his memories.

"_When will he stop having these dreams, Kreiger? I need Luciano to be whole again, and if he can't stop having visions of his past life, I will never be able to convince him that he belongs with me."_

Krieger could hear the threat in Damian's voice, so he did the only thing he could think to do; lie. _"Damian…."_ he stopped and backtracked when he saw the look in the other man's eyes,

_"Mr. Grimaldi…you're son is very stubborn. His mind is trying to rework itself and figure out what has happened. It is only a matter of time that the dreams stop. With the medication I've told you _

_to give him, his subconscious mind should begin to catch up with his conscious mind. Just give it a little more time."_ Krieger could feel his palms sweating; he knew that if this man did not

believe him, Kreiger would find himself at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. _"Fine, I will give him some time…but know this Kreiger, if you are lying to me, you will pay severely." _

Kriger watched as Damian walked out of the room, and let go of the breath he was holding. He looked into the room and noticed that Luke's body was still shaking, he was still crying.

_"I'm sorry kid, I had no choice. I just hope I can get out of here before you figure out what he did. Hell, I actually hope you get out of here without permanent damage, and not just to your mind."_

He couldn't believe he was thinking this, but working with Damian Grimaldi may have damaged him permanently too, if Kreiger were a religious man he'd say he damned himself when he

signed on to work for Damian Grimaldi. _"I hope they find you soon kid, before he has a chance to finish what he started."_


	11. Chapter 11

**The Search – Chapter 11**

**Lily's Plea**

Two weeks and 3 days had passed since she first awoke in the room she was currently residing in. The only reason she knew that at all was because one of the maids had taken pity on her and told her what the date was. Lily remembered the day she received the text and she counted back from the day she had awoken. She knew Damian had her son somewhere close and she knew that she wanted; no needed to see her son. No one would tell her anything, the maids would come in and clean her room and change her sheets, but would not speak to her. She was in the bathroom when one of them walked in and nervously looked around. Lily could see that she wanted to tell her something, so she initiated the conversation. _"Please, tell me what day it is,"_ she whispered. The young girl looked over her shoulder and out the door, making sure the guard was not close by, _"it is March 22, __Signora__ Grimaldi."_ Lily cringed at the title, _"no, my name is Snyder, Mrs. Lily Snyder."_ The girl looked at her and gave her a knowing smile, then they heard the guard moving towards them and she turned and continued her work. Lily hoped that this girl would be a new ally.

The last time she had seen Luke, he was lying on a hospital bed, hooked to monitors while, drugs where being pumped into his body. She had tried to fight to free her son. She kicked and screamed, but was not strong enough to help him. She remembered Damian lifting her off her feet, holding her around the waist while she tried to punch him, scratch his eyes out, or even kick him anywhere her legs would go. Then she felt a sharp pain on her arm and a deep warm feeling spread through her body, she could no longer fight. Her body was betraying her, she could feel herself begin to go slack, her muscle becoming relaxed, and her eyes growing heavy. Lily tried her hardest to fight the drug they had injected her with, fought to get her adrenaline pumping. It was too much though, and eventually she could feel her body give in completely. She could still keep her eyes partially opened though, and it was enough to watch as Damian lifted her legs and cradled her against his body_. "Le….t m..e g…o., Da..main.., please.."_ Lily fought with what little strength she had left to turn her head and watch her son loose his battle. He looked at his mother with tears in his eyes, and then he was gone.

Lily awoke in the room she had been in before she was taken to see Luke. The drugs were still working in her system, so it took a bit for her to realize what had happened. The moment that it became clear and the memories of what had happened in that room came back, Lily quickly sat up in the bed threw off the covers and ran for the door. Hoping against all hope that it wasn't locked, but knowing that it would be. That had been 3 days ago, and still she was not allowed out of her room. Whenever one of the maids would come in she would be followed by a guard. They had been informed that she would try and escape and that they were to detain her, but not hurt her.

The first time one of the maids had come into the room, Lily hid behind the door and pushed the girl out of the way. She was half-way out the door when she crashed into what seemed like an immovable wall. When she looked up she saw to her shock that it was a very big man, he had to be well over 6'7 with the broadest chest she had ever seen. His hands grabbed Lily's arms and pushed her back into the room. She fought as hard as she could, punching and kicking this mountain of a man, but it was as if she were a very small child and her blows weren't even being felt by him. When she looked at his face she could see he was smiling in the most patronizing way, as if telling her that her punches where tickling him.

The next time someone came into her room they brought food. Lily took the tray of food from the servant girl, smiled at her, and then threw it across the room. _"Tell your boss, if he wants me to eat, then he needs to let me see my son. Until then I will not eat or drink anything."_ Lily crossed her arms and went to sit on the chair by the window. It only took a few minutes before Lily heard the door being unlocked, and she knew who would be walking in. She didn't bother to turn and look; she could almost feel the temperature change in the room as he entered. _"Cara.. what is this about you not eating?"_ Lily decided she would not acknowledge him yet, she would not answer to his pet name for her. Never again would she let him call her that. Years ago it was a beautiful term of endearment; today it was a vile word, one that didn't mean what it used to. Damian knew Lily better then she thought he did, so he understood why she did not answer him. He took a deep breath and sighed.. _"fine, Lily… why will you not eat?"_ Lily turned from the window and stood from her chair, she would not look up at him from that vantage point. She gritted her teeth and looked up at Damian with enough hate to burn a hole in his head and said, _"I told your little servants what I want, if they didn't tell you, then here it is. You either let me see Luke or I will not only not eat, and every time someone walks through that door I will make it impossible for them to do whatever task you sent them to do."_

Damian reached out to touch Lily's face but she slapped his hand away, _"DON'T TOUCH ME! You never have the right to touch me, ever again."_ With that she stepped around Damian and walked to the middle of the room, trying to keep her distance from the bed. Damian turned and followed her with his eyes, he could see that she was shaking, and he wanted so much to hold her. He began to walk towards her, and Lily began to back away. She saw a look in his eyes that she did not like, it was as if she had become prey and he had become the predator. Unfortunately, Lily was not watching where she was backing up into and was surprised when her back hit the wall. Damian kept up his approach, his long legs getting him closer to her faster then she had expected. He placed his arms on either side of her head and trapped her against the wall. She could feel the fear building in her body, all she wanted to do was scream, but she wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

She steeled herself to look him directly in the eyes, trying her hardest not to show her fear. To her surprise Damian let out a laugh, _"oh, Cara, you are a stubborn one, aren't you. I suppose that is one of the reasons I've loved you all these years." _With that he moved his arms and grabbed her head, holding her still, while he brought his mouth crashing down on hers. Lily tried to fight him, she pushed at him and tried to kick him, but he had somehow pinned her body against the wall and trapped her legs with his thighs. She could feel him trying to open her mouth, but she fought against it. It wasn't until his hand roamed to the buttons on her blouse that she gasped, which allowed him to get past her defense. "Ge-_off!"_was all she could manage to say as Damian continued his assault on her mouth. She could feel the tears begin to fall down her face, never could she imagine that Damian would rape her, but now she wasn't so sure that this was the same man she had fallen in love with, so who knew what this man was capable of.

All of a sudden Damian backed away from Lily, it happened so quickly that she had to catch herself from falling forward from the momentum of her pushing him away. He was breathing hard and his eyes had a glazed over look, it was as if he was battling with himself. _"Ca.., Lily, I am sorry, I lost control of myself for a few moments. When we make love again it will be with mutual agreement. I would never force myself on you."_ Lily was still in a state of shock, her lips felt bruised from his harsh kisses, and she knew her eyes were rimmed red from tears. She tried to get her breathing under control, and to stop her body from shaking apart.

"_MAKE LOVE? Are you insane, the only way you're ever going to get me into your bed would be by force, because… Damian, I hate you more then I could ever hate anyone in my entire life. You've systematically lied, manipulated and forced your way into my life. You've taken everything from me. The love of my life… yes, Damian.. Holden is the love of my life. You've taken my son, twice, twice you've taken him from me. And now what, you expect me to just forget all you've done?"_ She stepped forward getting as close to him as she dared, her anger making her push aside the fear that had gripped her a few moments ago. _"Do you honestly think that I would ever, ever forgive you for this? Where is MY son, Damian?" _

Lily was so close to him now that she could see the anger flaring in his eyes. She gasped as he grabbed her by the arms, turned her around and pushed her towards the bed. When they reached it, Damian threw Lily onto it. She hit the bed hard, her body bouncing up once her arms flailing outward. She lay stunned for a moment when she bent her body up to look at the monster staring at her from the side of the bed. There was nowhere to run, but Lily would not give in so easily. She stared at him, almost daring him to try something. Even if she wasn't strong enough to fight him off, she would make it very difficult for him to finish whatever he started.

Damian was breathing hard; he was inhaling deeply and exhaling, trying his best to control his urges. _'Her son?'_ Luciano was a product of their love he would always be part of him. Her words took him back, back to when he returned to Oakdale, to try and repair the damage he had caused between himself and his son. It was shortly after Luke had been released from the hospital, after someone had tried to kill him that he met with Lily at the Lakeview. She asked him to leave Luke alone. Told him Luke did not want him in his life again. Damian could still hear her words from that day. They still angered him.

**_"When I think about what I was willing to do to my own son, makes me sick_." Lily looked at him, sadness in her eyes,_ "Damian, you gave up the right to call Luke your son a long time ago." _Damian could feel the anger building in his body. How could she say something like that to him, didn't she know that Luke meant everything to him_, "Don't you say that… don't you ever say that to me. Luciano is my flesh and blood, nothing is going to change that." _**

Damian looked down at Lily, part of him wanting to show her that she still belonged to him, the other part not wanting to hurt her. He turned away from the sight of her lying on the bed, took a deep breath and began to walk away. He stopped at the door, he spoke in a cold voice, _"Lily, if I have to I will have them put a feeding tube down your throat, and have you strapped to the bed."_ Lily tried to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. _"Could you really do that to me, Damian?"_ Damian turned away from the door, _"yes, Cara, I would. And if you ever want to see OUR son again, you will behave and do as you are told."_ With that he turned and walked out the door. Lily did the only thing that was left for her to do, the thing that had been building up in her body since this first began, she screamed. She screamed for her son, she screamed for Holden, she screamed for her children, she screamed for the life she had been ripped away from. Lily screamed until her voice cracked and she couldn't scream anymore. She let herself fall back onto the bed her body collapsing from all the emotions, and cried, she cried until she had no more tears left.

Damian stood outside her door, and listened as her screams died down and the tears began. He knew it would be hard to get Lily to see that they were meant to be together, but he still hoped that one day she would come around. He did not want to have to resort to doing what they did to Luke. He knew how dangerous it was, and though they were somewhat successful with Luke, Kreiger wasn't sure how it would work on Lily. Luke was still younger and stronger than his mother, and it could cause her permanent damage that Damian was not willing to risk. They would have to go another route, he knew about Lily's past with drug addiction, and if he had to he would use that to his advantage. For now though, he would make sure that on the days he brings his son to visit his "comatose" mother, her food or drink would be drugged, and she would be asleep during that visit. Damian smiled, knowing that his plan would work.

What he didn't know was that at the moment things where starting to work against him. While Damian was confident that Luke and Lily would be his, he was unaware that his victory would be short lived. That not far from the compound a plan was being formed and two men were ready to give anything they had to, to get back what he took from them. There was a storm coming, and it would rip Damian's world apart.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Sorry for the delay.**_

_**This chapter is longer then I epected, but I'm happy with the results. Hope you like where this is going. Thank you for all your great reviews, it makes me want to write faster. **_

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The Search – Chapter 12

**Friends Amongst Enemies**

Two weeks had gone by since Holden and Noah first landed on the island. According to Max they had a lot of reconnaissance to do before they could actually go in and try to get Luke and

Lily. Noah found this very frustrating, all he wanted was to kick the front door open and find Luke, but he knew that Max was right, they couldn't just 'storm the gates.' Even though he

hated it he did as he was told.

The first week they met with Max's contacts on the island. They were people who did not like the Grimaldi's and what they stood for. According to the contacts the Grimaldi family has

been in control of the island for centuries. They have always been linked with organized crime, and they ruled the island as if they were Kings. Though the Grimaldi brought money and

power, they also brought violence and fear. The Grimaldi shipping line had been known for smuggling. Whether it was guns or drugs, the shipping line made huge profits from these illegal

activities. And in recent years the island has been a haven for drug runners and the villagers are in constant fear for their children's safety. The people that were helping them had jobs in

the Grimaldi compound and could give them updates on what was happening to Luke and Lily. According to their main informant Antonio a man about 45 who worked in the kitchens Luke

and Lily were in separate wings of the mansion. He told them that he would do his best to find someone who was willing to help them, but that he had to be careful as to who to trust.

Noah sat through these meetings and just listened, hoping for any bit of information that would tell him how Luke was doing, yet always being disappointed. It wasn't until the Monday of

the following week when they actually got some news. Antonio had become friends with a young maid. She was assigned to Lily's room and had in some instances spoken with her. They

were usually very short conversations, but it gave them hope. According to Maria, Lily was kept locked in her room at all times. She informed them that during the first few weeks of

captivity Lily made it very difficult for anyone to come into her room. She would throw things and try to get out of her room whichever way she could, which included pushing a maid down

and running out the door. Unfortunately she was stopped by one of the guards, though she did put up quite a fight. This news made Holden smile. He knew what kind of spitfire Lily was

when she was angry. She was a force to be reckoned with when she was not angry, but piss her off and suffer the consequences. Maria told Antonio of how Lily refused to eat until she

saw her son and that that was when Signor Grimaldi went to her room. Antonio looked at Holden, his eyes sad, _"according to Maria, she could hear Lily yelling at Signor Grimaldi for a short _

_while, and then it became silent. She said that she flirts with the guard so he lets her get away with more then he should, so she went to the door and opened it enough to peek in."_ Antonio

looked away from Holden, knowing this next piece of information would hurt him, _"she saw the Signor grab Lily by the arms and force her against the wall."_

"_According to Maria, Signor Grimaldi forced himself onto Lily. She said she saw him kissing her, while she was trying to push him away."_ Antonio looked up as the noise of a chair falling caught

his attention. Holden had stood up so fast the chair he was sitting on slammed to the ground. His face was contorted in anger and anguish, as he listened to Antonio's story. Antonio

watched as the silent boy that always sat beside him stood up and grabbed Holden by the arms, turning him to face him. For the first time in 2 weeks Antonio heard the boy speak,

"_Holden, I know what you're thinking, I'm thinking it too, but we can't just rush in there, it would only serve to give Damian time to take Lily and Luke away again."_ The boy was speaking softly

to the older man, he was trying his best to keep Holden from rushing into the streets and getting into the first car he could find. _"Holden, please, we've trusted Max this far, we can't risk _

_everything we've worked so hard for. I know you have known Damian for a lot longer than I have, but I really don't believe he would rape Lily. In his mind he loves her, and he knows that doing _

_something that despicable would only make her hate him more."_ The boy whose name Antonio learned was Noah, brought Holden's body to himself and held him as his body shook with

anger and tears. He turned to Antonio, _"did Maria say anything else?"_ Antonio, still a little surprised by the fact that this _'boy'_ had all of a sudden turned into a man, took a little while to

answer. Max saw the surprise in Antonio's face and smiled, he knew there was more to Noah Mayer then meets the eye.

Antonio cleared his throat and composed himself then looked up at Noah, _"she said that she saw him grab Lily by the arms and drag her to the bed."_Antonio watched as Holden pulled away

from Noah, he watched as the older man walked to the far side of the room and suddenly put his hand through the rotting wood that was the wall. He watched as the young man rushed

to his side and pulled his hand out of the hole he had made. Antonio could see blood on the hand and knew that the Holden must have injured his hand pretty badly. Even though the old

house they were hiding in was rotting away around them, punching the wall would still cause some damage to anyone's hand. Again, Antonio watched as the younger man began to talk

the older man out of running to the mansion, _"Holden, damn, you can't do this…. do you hear me. You can't hurt yourself like this, what good is it going to do to Luke and Lily if you can't even _

_open your hand."_ He had wrapped Holden's hand with a strip of cloth he found in the kit they had brought with them.

Noah, watched as the strong force that is Holden Snyder began to fall apart in front of him. He always depended on Holden to be the strong one of the two, but at this moment he

couldn't even imagine what the man he saw as a father was going through. Lily was as much a mother to him as he ever had, and the thought of Damian doing something like that to her,

made him feel like he had been kicked in the stomach. It was hard for him to breathe at the moment, but he knew that Holden needed him right now. He looked over at Antonio and

silently asked him to continue with a nod of his head. _"Maria…had to walk away when the guard told her she had been there too long, but she said that a few minutes after she walked away, _

_Signor Grimaldi had walked out of the room. Then she heard Lily screaming."_ Antonio looked at the two men and hoped that his next words would comfort them, _"she said it wasn't enough _

_time for him to have…. done what she thought he was going to do, and that the screams were ones of anguish. She said it sounded like a woman who had lost someone precious to them."_ Noah

and Holden both looked at him with the same questioning look. Antonio looked at them and sighed, _"Maria knows that scream, because she screamed that way when her child was run down _

_in the street by a speeding car. She held her child in her arms as she died, and screamed until they had to sedate her in order to get her to let go of her baby, who was only six years old."_ Noah

and Holden could see the tears forming in Antonio's eyes. He looked at them, _"the men in the car were criminals who worked for Grimaldi Shipping; they were never arrested."_ He bowed his

head, _"Maria told me her story when she said that she would help me, it is a story I've heard before, a story that I myself have lived through. Though in my case, it was my wife who had gone _

_down to the market to get some milk for our daughter when she was attacked by four men. When they were finished with her, they left her in an alley to die."_ The tears were now flowing freely,

_"she wished often that they had killed her, up until the day that she took her own life."_Noah moved towards Antonio, he kneeled in front of him, tears flowing from his eyes he said, _"they… _

_were…. Grimaldi workers, weren't they?" _All Antonio could do was nod, he lifted his face and looked into the eyes of this man he thought a boy, _"do you see why we are willing to do anything _

_to help you? We want Grimaldi to pay for what that family has cost us." _Noah, seeing the hate in Antonio's eyes worried that perhaps they would see Luke as their enemy too. _"Antonio, you _

_do know that even though Luke is Damian's biological son, he is no more a Grimaldi then I am?"_ Antonio nodded and spoke softly, _"we know that your Luke is nothing like the Grimaldi's or we _

_would not be helping you. Do not worry…Noah is it," Noah nodded, "we will help you get them both out of his clutches."_ Noah looked at the man then stood up, _"thank you; and we'll do what we _

_can to help you get Damian Grimaldi off your Isalnd."_

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Grimaldi Mansion: same time

Luke hated where he was at the moment, but he had no choice if he wanted to see his mother today. An orderly had come into his room, he was a huge man, muscle bound, like you

would see in a body building contest. Luke wasn't sure what the man was there for, and for a minute he was scared. That was until Damian walked in right behind the man, a smile on his

face, _"Luciano, this is Felipo, he will be helping you today."_ Luke couldn't help and look at Damian with a confused look on his face, _"how is he going to help…."_ Luke's words froze in his throat

as the door opened again and a nurse pushed in a wheelchair. He started shaking his head, his eyes full of dread, _**"nonononononono**__…..I won't…I won't sit in that thing."_ His body began

to tremble and tears were flowing freely down his face, as he looked at Damian, begging him with tearful eyes to take it away. Damian walked over to his son, his hands outstretched as if

trying to calm a wild animal, _"Luciano, please, you have to sit in the chair son. I promise it won't be for long."_ Luke could feel the fear being replaced by anger as he stared at the chair then

back to the man who was supposed to be his father, _**"NO! I WILL NOT SIT IN THAT THING.. I WILL NEVER SIT IN ONE AGAIN…"**_he yelled, but as he said it he knew that it was

somehow right, but he also knew that according to Damian those memories weren't real. Luke didn't care though, he knew that they felt real, and he didn't want to relive them while he

was awake.

Damian put his hand on his son's cheek and brought Luke out of his reverie. Luke looked up at him, still breathing hard and trying to control his tears, then moved his head and looked

back down at his hands. _"Son, I know you don't want this, but this is the only way that I can take you to see your mother."_ Luke's head shot up instantly, gasping as the words sunk in.

_"You're going to take me to see mom? Really Damian, this isn't some sort of trick to get me into that chair?"_ Damian smiled down at his son, _"no, Luciano…this is no trick. I want you to visit your _

_mother, maybe hearing your voice will help her come back to us like you did." _Luke took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, _"o…okay...I'll sit in the chair, but only because I want to see my _

_mother, then I'm going to get out of it and never get into that thing again…understand."_ Damian nodded; he turned and motioned for the orderly to come to Luke's bed.

Luke hated the feeling of helplessness. The orderly went to Luke's bedside and lowered the railing on one side. He put one thick arm under Luke's legs and the other behind his back. He

lifted Luke off the bed as if he didn't weigh a thing. There was no real effort in lifting Luke, and the thought of what this man could do scared him a little. Why would a man built like a

bodyguard be an orderly, Luke wondered? His thoughts though were interrupted when he felt himself being lowered onto the wheelchair, and it took all his self control not to try and

throw himself out of it. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he placed them on the arm rests, so he closed his eyes and pictured the one thing that could calm him instantly, a pair

of smiling blue eyes. Luke thought this would help him breathe again, but found it just brought a lump to his throat, which he forcibly swallowed down.

Damian had come behind Luke's chair and began pushing it. This was the first time in Luke had been out of his room. He watched as Damian wheeled him down a long white corridor

towards and elevator. He was confused as to why his mother wasn't in the same place as him, _"Damian? I don't understand, why isn't mom in the same area as I was?"_ He could hear

Damian sigh from behind him, "_Luciano, you were showing signs of waking up, so we had to move you where the doctors could monitor your progress." _Luke could tell Damian wasn't telling him

something, "_what about my mother? Is she improving at all?"_ Luke felt the chair stop right in front of the doors of the elevator, he heard Damian come around and kneel in front of him,

_"son…I'm sorry to say that she has not improved much since the shooting. Unfortunately, your mother is still in a coma, but I still hold out hope that she too will recover, and we can be a family _

_again."_ He placed his hand on Luke's cheek and smiled up at him.

When the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, Luke was surprised to find that he was in a house and not a hospital. Hearing Luke gasp, Damian knew what his son was

thinking, _"Luciano, I had that part of the house turned into a private hospital, in hopes that one day they would be able to find a way to help you and your mother. This part of the mansion is _

_where you were before, and where your mother is now. I wanted to make your stay here as comfortable as possible."_Luke turned his head and looked up at Damian, he was beginning to feel

affection for this man who had taken such love and devotion in caring for him and his mother. He could have simply put them in a private hospital. He shook his head as he tried to

remember that Damian had hurt him too many times for him to just forget. No matter what he's done for them now, Luke still wasn't fully certain if he trusted him. He would have to keep

reminding himself of this, so he didn't fall into Damian Griamldi's charm.

He was pushed down another hallway, this one though full of paintings on the walls. The house was full of beautiful furniture and Luke was sure very expensive artwork. But what really

took Luke's breath away was a fairly big painting on a wall next to the room they were going to. It was a painting of Damian with Lily and Luke as a child. Luke knew he had never posed

for this and could only conclude that Damian had had it painted after the kidnapping incident in Malta. He could tell this because in the painting Luke looked to be about 12 or 13 and by

then he had officially become a Snyder. They reached the room and the door was opened. As Damian wheeled Luke into the room Luke couldn't help but be amazed at how warm and

inviting the room seemed to be. Luke looked around and then out of the corner of his eye he caught something that made his blood run cold. On a very lavish queen sized bed laid his

mother, her auburn hair cascading over the pillows where her head was laid. Her skin seemed so pale and her hands were clasped on her stomach. Luke could feel the sensation of tears

beginning to build up, and though he tried to control his emotions, he was powerless against the sight that sent shockwaves through his system. She looked like she was just asleep,

"_Damian….can..can you please take me closer?"_ Damian wheeled Luke right beside her bed, _"I'll leave you alone to talk, son…don't worry I'm sure your voice will help."_ Luke looked up at

Damian and gave him and gave him a thankful smile.

Luke reached over and took Lily's left hand in his hands, _"mom….oh God…..mom please open your eyes….please. I need you mom…I need you to tell me that this isn't real, that the life I dream _

_about isn't just a dream."_ He lowered his head, bringing his forehead down to touch his mother's hand. Luke cried silent tears as he held her hand close to him. He leaned closer to her, as

close as the chair would let him and put his head on the bed by her arm, he whispered the words that had been running through his head since he first woke up and saw Damian over

him, _"Mom, please you have to wake up…we have to get out of here together…I'm not leaving without you, so just….wake…up."_ Those words seemed to drag Luke back into his head. A voice he

knew too well was talking to him, and he was trying desperately to climb out of the darkness he was in to get to that voice.

"_**come on Luke, can't get us all fired up and then check out on us…. anyways there's no way I'm moving into an apartment without you. So….you know….WAKE UP, before Mr. Reese sues us."**_

**Luke climbed out of the darkness towards the light that was Noah's voice. He struggled to open his eyes, but manages. He turned what seemed like a very heavy head towards the voice that had led him back, and could feel the warmth of the hand of the person he loved more than anything in this world. His throat felt so very dry but he managed to croak out the only word that comes to him,**_** "hey…"**_

**He can see Noah smiling and can hear a sigh of relief in his voice as he answers Luke, laughing at the ridiculousness of the greeting**_**, "hey…yourself…"**_

In his minds' eye, Luke can see another hospital room, not too much unlike the one he woke up in recently. He knows his head is lying on the bed next to his mother's comatose form, but

he can't seem to stop being dragged back into this 'dream,' 'memory,' whatever it is, Luke wants more.

**Luke can see his parents' look of relief as the doctor informs him that he needs rest and observation for the next 48 hrs. He watches as his mother reaches over and puts her hands on his head, almost as if to verify that he was okay and actually there in front of her, **_**"I'm so proud of you…"**_** her hand moving to cup his face.**

**Luke smiles, **_**"well the feelings mutual.." **_**He watches as she leans down and places a couple of kisses on his forehead, it brings back memories of his childhood, **_**"love you too mom." **_**Luke watches as his father leans in after his mother walks away, he knows how hard Holden tries to hold back his fear, but he can see it in his eyes, **_**"I don't want to take this away from you, I just want you to be safe, if anything ever happened to you I could never forgive myself."**_** Luke knows that his father wouldn't want a sappy moment, so he makes light of the situation, "**_**well, if anything does it's not going to happen here…"**_** then he leans back onto his pillows, watching his beautiful boyfriend walk towards his bed, probably the sexiest thing he's ever seen, **_**"and, um…I'll keep the momentum going."**_** Luke smiles, **_**"I knew I could count on you…" **_**he watches his beautiful self-conscious boyfriend as he lightly traces Luke's arm with his hand, **_**"I can't promise to inspire the masses like you and your mom do…."**_** If only this man knew how wonderful he really was, and how much he inspired Luke, **_**"well….you inspire me….everyday."**_** He watched as Noah's face changed from one full of doubt to something full of love and passion as he took Luke's chin in his hand and raised it so Luke's lips would meet with his, for a soft and passionate couple of kisses, that if Luke hadn't just been hit by a car would have turned into something a little more. **

Luke sat up quickly in his chair. He was still holding Lily's hand but felt like all the air had been let out of the room. He looked over at his mother and could feel the anguish of not being

able to talk to her wash over him, _"no..no.. I won't let myself feel lost. I will get better…and mom, I'm going to get us both out of here."_ He whispered these words to his mother, vowing to

himself that he would do whatever he could to find out if these dreams are real or as Damian put it, _**'a figment of your unconscious mind, trying to heal itself, the only way it knows **_

_**how.' **_

As Luke sat with his mother a young maid walked in. She walked around the bed and began to straighten Lily's sheets, even though Luke knew that they didn't need any attention. He

smiled at her and she smiled back. She looked nervous as she came around to Luke's side, _"Signor Grimaldi, would you like a cover for your legs?"_ Luke winced at the use of the title, _"my _

_name is not Grimaldi, __signorina__ it's Snyder, or you can just call me Luke."_ The young maid smiled again then went to retrieve something from one of wardrobe in the room. She brought him a

small blanket to throw over his legs. As she made a show of actually tucking the blanket around his legs, Luke wasn't sure what to make of it. The maid looked up at Luke then back at the

door, she whispered quickly _"signor….Luke…do not trust what they tell you. Your mama gave me something for you." _Luke was confused, what was this girl doing. She reached into her apron

and pulled out a piece of paper, she quickly tucked it between Luke's thigh and the chair, under the sheet that covered his legs, _"please…Luke…do not let them find this."_ With that she

stood walked away quickly, just as Damian entered the room. The maid went on to collect the soiled laundry then rushed out the door. Luke knew that he had to figure out what the maid

was talking about, and until then he would keep the note hidden. He looked over at Damian and in the most convincing voice he could do he said the words he knew Damian wanted to

hear, _"father…can you please get me some tissue from the bathroom. I think I've cried enough. There will be no more tears."_ He watched as Damian beamed at his use of the title _**'father.'**_ _"But _

_of course son….we will get through this."_ As Damian walked into the bathroom Luke took the note and tucked it into the waistband of his pajama bottoms.

Damian had decided that Luke needed to stay in the east wing, where he was closer to the therapy room that had been set up for him. The room he was given was spacious and was

decorated much like his room back in Oakdale was. After the _**'hulk,'**_ as Luke began to think of the orderly, placed him on his bed Luke yawned and told Damian he was tired and was

going to take a little nap, _"of course, Luciano, you must be warn-out from today's events."_ After Damian left Luke quickly pulled out the paper the maid had given him. To his surprise it was a

letter and it was in his mother's handwriting. Luke's hands started to shake as he read the first line.

**_Luke, baby if you're reading this then you've come to my room and seen me lying unconscious in my bed. Please, Luke, listen carefully. I am not in a coma and whatever story Damian has told you is a lie. He kidnapped us, baby, and I'm so sorry that I can't be there for you while you struggle with this news. Luke, Damian took us away from all we loved a little over two weeks ago. The last time I saw you, he had you hooked up to machines and they were doing something to your memory. I swear, I tried to fight him. I tried to free you, but he was too strong, and they drugged me. Luke you can't let Damian know that you are on to him. Maria (the maid who gave you this) put herself at great risk so that you will get this letter. Oh, my darling, how I wish that I could see you when you come visit me. But I do have a plan on how we can communicate. I will leave you a note hidden in my bedside table. I will tape it under the top drawer, that way if anyone opens it they won't see it. _**

**_Maria has given me some very good news today. Your father and a young man are working with some of the locals to get us out of here. I can only assume that young man to be our Noah. I can't write anymore I know that Damian will be here soon and I can't let him catch me. Promise me Luke that if you get a chance you will escape. Don't worry about me, he won't hurt me. I love you so much, baby. Remember that you are strong just like your father. Don't give up hope._**

**_Love Always_**

**_Mom_**

Luke couldn't stop his hands from shaking even more than before. This time though he was shaking from anger. The tears flowing down his face were tears of rage and hatred. Hatred for

the man who had betrayed him so many times, he'd lost count. _**'Noah, Noah was coming for him;' **_God how he hoped that was true. Luke knew he had no choice but to play along with

Damian's game, but he knew now how much strength it would take not to reach out and strangle Damian with his bare hands. This was just the beginning, tomorrow things were going to

change and Damian won't know what hit him. Luke would get the use of his legs back, and he will be reunited with his father and Noah, even if it meant sending Damian to prison for the

rest of his life for all the horrible things he's done to them. Luke knew that he was in for a fight, but he was more than ready.

* * *

**_Please tell me what you think._**

**_**next chapter: Luke works hard to recover, using his anger to help fuel his therapy sessions._**

**_**Noah and Holden get to communicate with Lily and Luke. _**


	13. Chapter 13

**The Search – Chapter 13**

**Letters**

It has been a week since they first began contact with the compound. Their source on the inside, a young maid, had been very helpful with getting information to them from Lily.

They hadn't gotten any information about Luke, though, and Noah was beginning to worry. He paced the small space they had to live in, over and over again. It was getting to the point

where Holden had to stand up and stop the young man in his tracks, or he was going to lose his mind, _"Noah, you have to stop pacing, or you're going to drive me insane."_ Noah stopped

and stared at the older man, looking at him as if he didn't understand what he was talking about. Holden took Noah by the arms and shook him a bit, _"Noah, listen to me, son. I know _

_you're worried about Luke. Hell, I'm terrified thinking about what Lily is going through, but we have to focus on what is good about this situation."_ Noah looked at Holden as if he **_had_**gone

insane. _"Good? What is so damn good about this whole thing?" _

Noah pulled himself free from Holden's grasp and walked towards the table in the middle of the room. He sat down on one of the chairs and put the palms of his hands up to his eyes and

began to rub. Holden could see the signs of another of Noah's headaches; he knew the young man wasn't taking his medicine on a regular basis. Holden walked up to the table and

knelt beside him, _"Noah, have you taken your pills lately?"_ Noah was rubbing his eyes furiously, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. He knew that lack of sleep and all the

tension since the kidnapping hasn't helped with his recovery time, if anything it has pushed it back quite a bit. He looked over at Holden and saw the concern on his face. Noah knew that

Holden was worried about Luke as well as Lily and he didn't need to have to worry about Noah too. But he knew that he would not be able to lie to him. _"I'm almost out, and I didn't want _

_to worry you about it."_ Holden couldn't help but look at Noah with sympathy. He knew that the Colonel had drilled such wrong things into this young man's mind that he would rather

suffer in silence then to mention that he needed more medication. He still seemed to think that he was a burden to him, just like he did after the accident, when he pushed Luke away for

that very same reason. _"Noah, you trust me don't you?"_

Noah's brow came together as he stared at Holden with a confusion showing on his face, _"of course, I trust you Holden. I'd trust you with my life."_ Holden smiled, "_then why didn't you _

_come to me when you knew you were running low on your pills?"_ Noah turned away from the look of disappointment in Holden's eyes, only to have Holden turn his face back to him, _"Noah, _

_you are as much a son to me now as you were when you and Luke were still 'officially' dating. I care for you, and want you to stay healthy. Cause, you know once this is over, Luke will kill me if _

_you aren't around anymore."_ Holden gave Noah a lopsided grin, and Noah couldn't help but smile back. _"You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that I still have my father's voice inside my head _

_telling me 'real men don't complain about pain,' it's something I have to work through._" Holden stood up and put his hand on Noah's shoulder, _"where are your pills?"_ Noah was about to

stand when Holden pushed him back down onto the seat, _"I'll get them, you stay right there."_ Noah nodded, _"they're in my jacket pocket, on my cot."_ Holden walked over to the very small

cot Noah was using as a bed and found the jacket and the pills. He walked to the little alcove they called a kitchen and found a bottle of water for Noah.

Holden looked over and saw that Noah had put his head down on the table. A stab of guilt went through him. He wished he'd never let Noah come with him. Though he remembered that

argument clearly and knew that there was no way he was going to be able to convince Noah to stay behind.

Holden looked at the young man standing in front of him with a duffle bag, _"Noah, this isn't a good idea. You're still not fully recovered from your surgery you shouldn't be going with me." _The younger man stood in front of Holden, a look of determination on his face. Holden couldn't help but think about his son at that moment. Luke always said that Noah was one of the most stubborn people he knew, and that when he decided to do something there was no stopping him. Holden could understand now why that frustrated Luke so much. Yet at the same time, it made Holden want to grab the boy and hug him. Tell him how grateful he was for the love he has shown his son. Holden knew that Luke was lonely after he came out to them, and that he believed that he would be alone for the rest of his life. He never actually told Holden this, but he could see it in his sons eyes whenever he came in and found Holden and Lily kissing, or hugging. Holden's only wish was for that look of despair to disappear from his sons eyes, because he knew that someone out there would be the luckiest guy in the world to have Luke love him.

When Noah came along, at first Holden was skeptical. He believed that Luke was repeating the same mistakes that he made with Kevin. That again Luke had fallen for a straight guy, a straight guy with a girlfriend, who was one of Luke's best friends. Even though Luke assured his father that the situation with Noah was not the same as it was with Kevin, he couldn't help but be afraid his son would be hurt again. Now here he was standing at the air strip where his mother in laws private plane was being prepared to take him to Malta, and this determined stubborn young man was staring him down. Holden knew that this was hard for Noah to do. He knew how Noah was almost painfully respectful to his elders, and that he may even be a small bit afraid of Holden. But there he was not backing down. His eyes seemed to have darkened with a fierce resolve.

_"Holden… sir… I am going with you, whether you want me to or not. Hell, I don't care if I have to hang onto the landing gear and hold on all the way to Malta, cause the only way you are going to __stop me is to knock me out and lock me in a room with a steel door. _

Noah gripped his bag even more tightly he was ready to fight his way onto that plane if he had to. Though he knew that he would never raise his hand against Holden Snyder, he was hoping that the man could see that he would put up a fight if he wasn't allowed to go. Noah couldn't even think of not going. The thought of staying behind made him physically and mentally sick. He loved Luke so much, and he had been such a fool for so long, losing him again was not an option. Noah stood rigid ready to pounce on the first person who tried to drag him away, when he was surprised to see Holden smiling at him.

_"Luke was right, you are a stubborn mule, aren't you." _ Holden stepped away from the stairs leading to the inside of the plane. He looked at the young man in front of him and decided that if Noah was willing to go against everything he believed in, such as fighting with his love's father, then how could he tell him no. He watched as Noah let out a breath and began to relax. He could see the hand holding his duffle releasing a bit of pressure on the handle and his body physically deflating. Holden watched as the young man began to tentatively walk toward the plane, almost as if he was expecting a surprise attack. Holden put his hand on Noah's shoulder, _"Noah, I know that you're in pain, I can see it when you try to hide it, so if you're going __with me, we are going to need to communicate with each other."_ He looked into Noah's eyes, finding understanding there, _"I'm going to need to know that you are going to be honest with me. __I know you love my son, and I know that short of tying you up, I won't be able to stop you. But I need you strong and healthy and Luke needs you, so promise me, promise me that at any sign of __pain you will tell me and we will deal with it." _ Noah looked into Holden's eyes, _"I promise, Holden. I need him too, you know."_ Holden moved closer to Noah and gave him a quick hug. He knew how important this man had become to his son, and to his entire family, and the thought of something happening to him again, made Holden's chest tighten.

They separated and began to board the plane. Holden looked over to see that Lucinda Walsh had been standing close by, _"How long have you been standing there?"_ Lucinda smiled, _"long __enough darling, to see how much that boy means to you." _ She moved closer to him and tears began to flow from her eyes, something that was rare to see from Lucinda Walsh, _"Holden, __promise me, you'll bring them and yourselves back safely, no matter what you have to do."_ Lucinda Walsh was one of the toughest people Holden knew, it was rare to see her with tears flowing freely from her eyes. He could hear the underlying statement in her words, he knew that she would not think twice about removing Damian Grimaldi from their lives, he knew how much Lucinda's family meant to her, and he knew that if she could, she would be on that plane with them. Holden reached over and took her in his arms, _"I promise. They'll be on this plane __with us when we return. As for Damian, I promise that he will never hurt our family again." _ Lucinda held tightly to her ex-son in law. They pulled apart and both wiped tears from their eyes.

Lucinda straightened herself out, fixed her hair and became all business once more, _"the man I hired will meet you at the airport once you land. He goes by the name Max, I don't know, nor __do I care if that is his real name, but from what I have ascertained, through some very reputable people, he is the best at what he does. Holden he is worth every penny, if we get them back safe __and sound."_ With that she turned and walked back towards her waiting car, the driver standing by the door awaiting her return. She turned once more towards Holden, _"remember __darling, remember your promise."_ With that she stepped into her car and was quickly driven away. Holden stood there for just a minute watching this woman who many have mistakenly underestimated, and felt nothing but love, and maybe a little fear.

Holden was brought out of his reverie by the door opening. He watched as Max and Antonio entered the tiny house. They each had a look on their faces that Holden had come to know

all too well, bad news was coming. He walked towards Noah and handed him the water and his pills. Noah had also looked up when he heard the door open. He was staring at the two

men, and Holden had to nudge him to get him to see what he was giving him. Noah took the pills and the water from Holden. Never once taking his eyes off the two men he put the pills

in his mouth and swallowed it down with the water. Noah was the first to speak, "_what happened, why do you look like that?"_ He tried to keep the trembling fear out of his voice, and only

managed to whisper. Max and Antonio walked to the table Noah was sitting at, and for the first time Noah noticed that Antonio was holding a big envelope in his hands. He could feel the

lump in his throat as he tried to speak. Holden seeing what Noah was looking at asked the question Noah couldn't seem to get out of his mouth. _"What's in the envelope?"_

Antonio cleared his throat, he did not want to give them this news, but knew that he had to. They would have to know what Grimaldi had done to his own son. He looked at Noah and

Holden, seeing the terror in their eyes. How much more bad news would they be able to take, before they finally snap. He looked over at Max, who nodded, telling him to go on. Antonio

lifted the envelope and opened it. He reached inside and pulled out what seemed to be photographs, _"as you know our contact inside has been in contact with Mrs. Grimaldi, I mean _

_Snyder."_ He corrected when noticing the hate glare from Holden. She didn't have news on Luke. "_At the time she was working an early shift and was not able to see the young man. That is _

_until yesterday, when she asked for permission to switch with another girl that worked on the east wing. She said she had to take care of her elderly mother in the morning, and they believed _

_her. Max gave me a very small camera that could be hidden in her uniform. Maria was in the east wing when Luke was brought out of his room."_ Antonio stopped with those words, seeing the

questioning look on both men's faces.

Noah looked at Antonio and couldn't help but feel confused by the wording of his last sentence. He thought that maybe Antonio had just said the sentence wrong, since English wasn't

his first language. He wanted to make sure though that he did hear him right, _"did you say, he was brought out of his room? What does that mean?"_ At that question Antonio placed the

photos in front of Noah and Holden, watching as their brains caught up with what they were looking at in the photograph. He watched as both men instantly reacted, Noah standing up

so fast from the chair that it fell to the ground behind him. He walked towards his cot and stood with his back to the others. Antonio could see the young man's shoulder shaking as he

cried silently.

Holden was still staring at the picture, hoping silently that he wasn't seeing what he knew was in that picture. The photograph he was staring at was of his son being pushed out of his

room in a wheelchair. Holden couldn't look away, as Antonio removed the first photo only to reveal another underneath. Luke was in a room with equipment in it and he was being picked

up by a mountain of a man out of his chair and placed on a bed. There were more photos of Luke with what could only be a therapist, as the man was lifting and bending Luke's legs in an

exercise routine Holden remembered well. Antonio cleared his throat, hating that he would have to show this good man this next photo. Holden looked up at him, _"just show me."_

Antonio lifted the photograph of Luke doing therapy, to reveal a photo of Damian Grimaldi standing by Luke's side holding his hand as Luke was put through some sort of strenuous

exercise, his face full of love and support for Luke. Holden could see the look of pain on Luke's face; it was a look he'd hope he'd never see again.

Antonio could see tears forming in the other man's eyes. He knew though how to help both men feel a bit better. _"I am sorry I had to show those to you, but I want you to know that I also _

_have good news."_ Noah, had sat down on his cot, his elbows resting on his knees as he dug his palms into his eyes again, the headache making a comeback. At Antonio's words Noah

stood up and walked back to the table. Holden was staring at the last photograph with such hate filled eyes, that Noah couldn't help but look himself. He gasped as he saw Damian

holding Luke's hand while Luke was having physical therapy, _"son of bitch, he's trying to get Luke to rely on him." _ Holden looked up to see Noah red rimmed eyes and tear stained face turn

to a face full of anger and hatred. He looked back at Max and Antonio. Max took two folded up papers from his pocket, he handed one to Holden and one to Noah. The men took the

sheets and opened them up.

_Noah my love, _

_I am writing you this letter in hopes that I am not being tricked and that all my dreams of you are real. Damian told me that my memories of our life together are just my subconscious mind playing tricks on me due to the fact that I have been in a coma for 3 years. I am writing this letter to you now hoping that the woman who has been helping us is telling me the truth. I received a letter from my mom the other day, that told me exactly what Maria (that's the woman who's helping me) has told me. After my therapy session she was in my room cleaning. I knew she had been with my mother and was surprised to see her. I know that she is taking quite a risk in coming here to help my mom and me, but it is still really hard for me to believe that this isn't some hoax. I want to believe you are real, my love, but my mind is working against my heart. I need proof, so I will ask you something only my Noah would know. Our first kiss was in a specific room, and you were wearing something specific that led to this kiss. What were you wearing and what did you say to me when I asked you what was wrong? Please be real, I'm begging you to be all that I remember. Our love has to be strong in order to survive all that we have gone through, or at least all that I have dreamt we have gone through. Noah, bubby, I hope to see you again soon, so you can remind me personally of everything we are._

_Love always and forever_

_Luke_

Noah finished the letter and noticed that there were tear stains on the paper, his tear stains. He brought the note to his chest and held it tight. He looked over at Holden who it seemed

had been reading a letter from Lily. Noah could see his eyes glistening as he held back tears. They looked at each other and smiled. Noah turned and ran to his duffle, he pulled out a

pen and a pad and began to write.

Noah tore the sheet out of the notebook and handed it to Antonio, _"please make sure he gets this. I need him to know." _ Antonio took Noah's letter and then looked over and saw that

Holden had a letter for Lily. He took both letters and stood up, _"I promise I will find a way to get this to them." _With that he left the two men staring at the door he had just left by. Noah

turned to Holden, _"did Lily say if she's been in contact with Luke lately?"_ Holden looked at Noah and shortened the letter Lily had written, full of her love for him, and told him just the main

point he wanted to know about, _"she said that she knows he visits, because he leaves her notes in their secret place. She said that Luke can't feel his legs, and Damian had told him that it was _

_due to the fact that the…." _Noah knew what Holden was going to say, _"the Colonel,"_ he finished for him. Holden looked into the eyes of this wonderful young man and once again

wondered how he could have been raised by that monster, and not come out totally scarred physically as well as mentally. _"yes, due to the fact that the Colonel shot him. She is aware that _

_he is doing therapy and is working hard at getting the use of his legs again. Other than that, the letter is asking us to be careful, but to hurry."_ He smiled at that last sentence, only Lily could

give and order and still tell you to be careful while you are carrying those orders out.

* * *

Next Day – Grimaldi Compound 8am

Luke laid on his bed thinking back to the day before when he had come back from his therapy session to find the same maid that had been in her mother's room in his. He could see that

she was doing 'busy work' so that the hulk who had brought him in wouldn't notice her. The hulk lifted Luke from his chair, and Luke could almost swear that he was enjoying lifting Luke

up in his arms. The predatory look in his eyes made Luke's blood run cold. He knew this man wouldn't do anything while he was in Damian's employment, but Luke didn't feel right about

the way his hands lingered on his back when he placed him on his bed, or how he came partially down onto the bed with Luke when he placed him on it.

A loud crashing noise came from the other side of the room which made the giant let go of Luke and look at the young servant woman. Luke had learned enough Italian to understand

that he was angry that she had broken a vase. He thought though that he was angry that she had interrupted his moment with Luke, and he thanked whatever greater deity there was

for her clumsiness. The young woman got on her hands and knees and began to clean the broken glass. Luke could see that the hulk was going to go grab her and he decided at that

moment that maybe for once he could become a Grimaldi, _"touch her and I will have your head."_ Luke used his best Betty Davis impersonation, thanking Noah for his love of old movies. In

his mind he envisioned the great lady as Queen Elizabeth and decided to try his hand at being Royalty.

The hulk stopped mid step, but then turned to go towards the maid again, _"do you really want to test me? I will inform my father that you cannot follow orders, and that you do not know how _

_to do your job. I will also tell him that I want you gone."_ He stared into the eyes of the man and hoped that he was pulling off the Griamaldi sense righteousness, _"and don't think he won't _

_listen to me, because you know as well as I do that my father wants to make me happy, and if that means that you will never be seen again, then so be it. **GET OUT!**"_ Luke pointed to the door

never taking his eyes of the man who could crush him with one hand. He knew that if this man wanted to he could do whatever it was that was going around in his head when he stared

at Luke, and it made his skin crawl. The man turned and walked out the door, and Luke let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He fell back against the pillows and began to

shake. All of a sudden he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. The young maid had gotten up of the floor and had walked to Luke's bed. She was nervously looking from Luke to the door, 

_"Signor, I can take letter."_ Luke could see she was struggling with her English, he was about to ask her what she meant when she handed him a notebook and a pen. _"You're Noah,… he _

_want hear from you. Know you okay." _That's when Luke finally understood. He looked at her and wanted to grab the woman and hug her, but knew by the way she kept looking at the

door that he only had minutes. He wrote the letter, that he knew if this was a trick there would be no answer to his questions. But in his heart he hoped and prayed that this was real,

and that he would see the man he loved more than anything in this world was coming for him.

It had been a full day since he wrote the letter. He prayed that Maria had not been discovered and that she would return with his answer. Luke pushed himself into a sitting position and

stared at the door as if magically she would appear through it. He knew he was being foolish, but he was never known for being patient. Just as he was beginning to give up, the door

opened and Maria stepped through, holding fresh linen in her arms. The hulk stood in the room a few minutes, then caught Luke's angry look and walked away. Maria put down the linen

and almost ran to Luke's bedside. She pulled a folded piece of paper from between her apron and her uniform, hidden very well in the crease of the waist band. Luke opened it with

trembling hands.

Luke,

The day I kissed you for the first time was historic for me. It was the first time I ever wore Windsor. I was being an ass to you that day, yet you still found it in your heart to come and bring me lunch, you even apologized for an argument we had been having earlier that afternoon, even though you hadn't done anything wrong. I was in an office at WOAK stressing about the fact that I was running late to meet with my father for lunch and you offered to bring me a tie. I was so nervous that I would probably have strangled myself had you not volunteered to help me. I remember feeling the heat from your hands through my dress shirt, and the feeling of your skin against my neck as your fingers brushed up against the side of my face. All I could think was how beautiful you were and how much I wanted to taste your lips. You looked up at me when you noticed that I was staring at your mouth. You asked me what was wrong, and I said "nothing," then I came down to your mouth and kissed you. You backed away quickly, being you, giving me a chance to back out of what I was doing. But when I pressed forward again, you met me and I can honestly say that I was in heaven for the short time our kiss lasted. It felt so right to kiss you, it felt so good I never wanted it to stop. Unfortunately I was the biggest ass this world has ever seen and I hurt you. I know that Damian has told you all sorts of lies, but I want you to know that I've loved you since the moment I met you. Luke I never told you this, but the day you dropped the tapes and our hands met, I felt it too. I love you so much Luke, you are now and always will be worth the wait. We will get you and your mom out of there, and I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. Whatever Damian has done to you, I will find a way to help you through it, if you will let me. Don't give up, I know you can beat him.

Love always

_Your Noah_

Luke could feel the tears coming down in face. They weren't tears of pain or heartache, they were tears of joy. He couldn't help but smile at Maria who was looking at him with concern

on her face_, "Signor, are you well…"_ Luke laughed he reached out and grabbed Maria and brought her into a hug, _"thank you, thank you….I am very well. Maria, you have just saved my life, _

_and when this is over I will find a way to help you in whatever way I can."_ He could feel Maria's tears wetting his shirt, but he didn't care. They held on to each other for just a minute, afraid

of who may walk in. Luke took the letter and hid it underneath his nightstand drawer, so he could reach it again, and read it as often as he wanted to. Maria finished what she had come

to do and left, with a promise that she would tell his mother how he was doing.

* * *

_Later that afternoon_

After an excruciating therapy session, Luke was ready to go to bed. He still didn't like the Hulk and was sure that he would have to keep a close eye on him. This time when he brought

him to his room, he lifted Luke out of the chair, and just held him against his body for a few minutes. Luke struggled against the vice arms, _"put me down, NOW! I won't tell you again."_

Hulk smiled and began to place Luke down on his bed, then he did something Luke would not have thought he would dare, he cupped Luke's face in his giant beefy hand and stroked

Luke's cheek. Luke was about to scream for help, when said hand clamped down on his mouth, and Hulk came even closer to Luke's face, _"you scream or tell anyone, and I will make sure _

_your little maid friend isn't well enough to come visit you. Do you understand?"_

Luke's eyes widened and breathing through his nose was becoming extremely hard, so he nodded. The giant removed his hand from Luke's mouth and replaced it with his own mouth.

Luke fought against those cold hard lips and felt as though they were going to break his teeth to get him to open his mouth. Just as soon as the assault began it ended and Luke was

left staring up at this man who was smiling and licking his lips. Luke could feel his lips swollen and bruised and knew that the inside of his bottom lip was cut. The Hulk went to touch

Luke again, and Luke tried his best to move away, but couldn't get far, _"now little Grimaldi, we have an understanding, so if you tell anyone, you know what will happen to your friend. She has _

_such a pretty face; I would hate to have to damage it." _Luke could feel his anger boiling_, **"you touch her, and I will personally make it my mission to kill you myself."** _ Hulk laughed

and turned around and left Luke alone, shaking and screaming into his pillows, _"Noah… God Noah… please hurry. I don't know how much longer I'll last." _


	14. Chapter 14

Please forgive the tardiness of this chapter. I wanted to be sure I had it where I wanted it before I uploaded. Really hope the few who are reading it will enjoy it. Please review, I love to hear what you think. I'd be more then happy to answer any questions, except the ending of course ;}.

A big thank you to Ditzbea who has been a great inspiration and not only a great beta but a good friend.

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**The Search – Chapter 14**

**INFILTRATION**

Damian stood inside a dark room looking out a two way mirror at his son and the physical therapist working on his exercises. A door opens and a man in a white coat walks in. Damian doesn't need to turn around to know who it is. He stands silently watching his son working harder then he needs to and pushing himself to his body's limitations. Damian can't help but smile. His son was so much more like him then he would ever want to admit. Damian can feel the doctor's presence and knows by the way he is shifting his weight from one leg to the other that he is nervous. Dr. Janis was a brilliant doctor in Germany, that is until he was caught doing experiments on patients that resulted in a few deaths. Damian found the doctor and saved him from definite jail time. He knew he could control the doctor, just like he controlled everyone else around him; with money and the ability to follow through on his threats. The doctor knew that Damian could hand him over to Interpol and not even get his hands dirty.

Dr. Janis cleared his throat in an effort to get Damian's attention. Damian kept staring ahead, "Yes, Doctor, what can I do for you?" Dr. Janis was always nervous whenever he had to speak to Damian, but he knew that he had no choice in this matter. "Mr. Grimaldi, I've come to urge you again….we have to stop giving your son the shots, or the damage will be irreversible." He wrung his hands and looked down at the floor. In all his years of practicing medicine he always wanted what was best for his patients, despite the experiments.

The experiments that ended in those deaths, that he was going to jail for, were done to help his patients. His whole goal in life was to find a way to help people with spinal injuries to walk again. If that meant losing a few people, well the 'Needs of the Many' was his philosophy. If one or two people died so that a hundred can walk again, then it was worth the sacrifice. Unfortunately his colleagues didn't see it that way and they wanted to stop him; stop his life's work. But this, this plan of Damian Grimaldi's was counterproductive. He was purposely keeping his son from walking. The doctor knew that the shots into Luke's spine where blocking the nerves in his spine from sending messages to his brain that his legs actually work. He knew that if they keep giving Luke these shots they may cause permanent damage to his spine and result in permanent paralysis. This was something he was adamantly against. All his work would be for nothing.

"Mr. Grimaldi, please you must listen to me. If we continue with these injections, your son may never walk again." For the first time since the doctor walked into the room, Damian turned towards him, "all right, Doctor, we will stop the injections. How long before he begins to feel his legs again?" The Doctor was caught off guard by Damian's acceptance of his opinion. He was so stunned that it took him a while to answer. He stared at Damian for a short while, his mouth hanging open, when Damian prodded him to answer, "well?"

Dr. Janis shook his head and averted his gaze, something about Damian Grimaldi's eyes always made a cold shiver run down the doctor's spine. "The effects of the injections should start to wear off within 3 days. It has to work its' way out of his body in order for his brain to begin to receive information from his nerves." The Doctor slipped right back into physician mode as he spoke, "Giving your son this injections while he was drugged was risky and could have done more damage, had he not been as healthy as he is, but now we have to wait and hope that no damage has been done."

Damian turned back to the mirror and looked out at his son, "You better pray…Doctor, that no permanent damage has been done. You will not like what happens to you if my son is damaged in any way." With that he stopped talking and the Doctor knew he had been dismissed. Dr. Janis turned and left the room. When he had closed the door behind him he slumped against the wall and began to shake. The Doctor could only imagine the horrors that would be inflicted on him if he were to fail. He prayed to a God he once believed in that the young man would be all right. He pushed himself off the wall wiped the sweat from his brow and began to walk back to his office, only to feel a wave of nausea that had him running to the nearest bathroom to empty his stomach of its contents.

_

* * *

_

_Physical Therapy Room_

Luke was exerting as much strength as his body would allow him to. The therapist was lifting his legs and pushing them back towards his own body, as Luke tried his hardest to push against him. Yet no matter how hard Luke concentrated or pushed his legs would not cooperate. He was sweating and his body was trembling with the effort. His therapist tried his best to reassure him, "Luke, you have to give it time. You've only been awake for 3 weeks and your body needs time to recuperate from such a shock." Luke looked at the man with anger in his eyes; he didn't know if this man was part of Damian's plan or if he was just an innocent person who actually wanted to help Luke get better. He wanted so bad to find out, but had no way of knowing if he could trust him, so he just continued to push himself. Through gritted teeth he spoke to his therapist, trying hard to keep the anger out of his voice, "I know this, Marco, but I'm not giving up. I walked before, and I will walk again. Nothing and no one is going to stop me." Little did he know that his father was just a few feet away watching him and smiling proudly, "That's right, my son, you are a Grimaldi, and we don't give up."

Luke was so engrossed in his therapy that he did not notice the giant man that was lately constantly in his nightmares walk into the room. He couldn't help but shiver as he looked at the man he'd named 'Hulk' look at him with a sick desire in his eyes. He seemed to have come out of nowhere all of a sudden and was standing close to the exercise bed Luke was lying on.

Though the man had seemed to appear out of nowhere he had actually just walked out of the room Damian was currently watching his son from. He smiled as he recalled their conversation; "I have moved you from guarding my wife and placed you in a very trusted position of guarding my son. If you fail me you know the consequences. I do not need physical strength to hurt you." Hulk looked over at his employer who was still watching his son and answered with a curt "si, signor." In his head though, the Hulk was internally thinking of ways to have some fun with his new charge, without getting a bullet in the head. He had a feeling he would be worth it though. To have that body pinned underneath him would be worth the risk. Though he had to be smart about it, he couldn't let his desires override his self preservation. For now he could have his fun with the street hustlers he picks up on his days off, even if most of them had heard about his tendency to hurt them, and have been avoiding going anywhere with this man. It didn't matter to him though, he would get what he wanted whether or not they wanted to cooperate, it was more fun when they put up a fight anyway.

Luke could see the smirk on the giant's face and couldn't help but feel nauseous. He couldn't even imagine what the man was thinking to put that look of, what, pleasure, on his face. It made Luke's blood run cold. He didn't want this man anywhere near him, but knew that Maria would be in danger if he said anything. Luke could only hope that his father and Noah were coming soon, because he knew that this monster wouldn't be able to contain himself for long. As the Hulk walked over to Luke and placed his arms around his back and under his legs in order to lift him up and place him back in the chair, Luke could feel his hand slowly creeping down his back and onto Luke's ass. When Luke was placed back on the chair he knew that Hulk had purposely put his hand under him in order to touch Luke intimately. Luke looked up at the man, only to see him smiling.

He did the only thing he could think of, he pushed the man away from him and began to wheel himself out of the room, only to be stopped by the giant before he got too far, "Let go of my chair, NOW! I'm going to go see my mother." Luke tried in vain to wheel himself out of the man's grasp, but knew it was pointless. He began to tremble with rage and was about to throw himself out of the chair and crawl to his mother's room if he had to, when Damian was all of a sudden in front of him, "Luciano, you mustn't behave this way. All of my employees want nothing, but to help you. Now, unfortunately you will not be able to visit your mother today….and before you say anything the doctor is with her right now and I believe we will have good news soon." Luke looked up at Damian; he wanted so badly to yell at him, to tell him that he knew the truth. But he knew that he would have to bide his time. Luke let out a sigh and did his best to give Damian a look of understanding, "Okay, I understand, but I want to see her tomorrow. Do you understand me Damian? I _**will**_ see my mother even if I have to _**crawl**_ to her room." With that he took hold of the wheelchair hand rims and wheeled himself away towards his room. Damian looked at his henchman, "Well…follow him and make sure he is safely in his room and placed on his bed." Hulk looked at his boss and nodded, knowing what he wanted to do to Luke once he was in his bed, but knowing that know was not the time.

_

* * *

_

Midnight - Grimaldi Compound

Noah couldn't believe it. He was actually inside the place that held the man he loved. If all went according to plan, he would see Luke tonight. Antonio had devised a plan where Noah would be hidden in plain sight, as one of the many workers setting up for the party that Damian Grimaldi was having in a few days. It was to be a grand affair, with some very rich and influential guests attending. Noah had been given a spray on tan, a prosthetic nose, and he had gone without shaving for a few days. All in all he looked very different then the young man who had started this journey. He had been there since early that morning when all the other workers had come in to begin preparations. He kept his eyes downcast and tried his best not to draw any attention to himself, even when he saw Damian walking by informing Antonio as to what he needed done. The urge to strangle the man was so strong that he had to turn and pretend to be working on flower arrangements. The men were to work well into the late hours, so as he walked around, the guards ignored him.

He reached the east wing, where he knew Luke was being held. According to the map that Maria had given them Luke's room was close by. Now all he had to do was get to the room and get inside without anyone seeing him. Antonio was to be a major part of this plan. He was to distract the guards while Noah slipped past them. Exactly at midnight a loud crash came from downstairs. Noah waited around the corner of Luke's room for the guards to go investigate. As they left, Noah ran around the corner and to the door of the room. He was prepared to pick the lock if he had to but when he tested the handle he found it to be unlocked. Noah slipped into the dark room and quickly searched for Luke. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he was able to see a king sized bed to his right, and in the bed was the sleeping form of his lover.

Noah quickly rushed to Luke's bed. He reached out and tentatively brushed Luke's hair out of his eyes. Noah could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but blinked hard trying to fight them back; this was no time to lose it. Luke began to stir and Noah couldn't help but smile as he heard Luke say his name in his sleep, "Noah." Noah brought his hand down and cupped Luke's cheek. God how he missed this man. He wanted so badly to grab him and take him out of there, but knew he couldn't.

Luke felt someone touching him, at first he thought he was dreaming, at least until he felt that touch move from his forehead to his cheek. In an instant Luke opened his eyes, expecting to see the man of his nightmares hovering over him. He was about to scream when a hand clamped down on his mouth. Luke reached up trying to fight off his visitor when a voice broke through his panic and Luke stopped fighting, "Luke….Luke, stop fighting me. Come on Luke listen to my voice, you know who I am." Luke closed his eyes and then opened them again, trying to adjust to the lack of light, when a sliver of moonbeam came through his window and illuminated the most beautiful pair of blue eyes Luke had ever seen.

He gasped behind the hand and muffled the name he thought he'd never say again, "Noah." Noah removed his hand from Luke's mouth and smiled down at him. The tears he so desperately wanted to hold back flowed freely down his face. In what seemed like hours but was only seconds, Luke had thrust himself onto Noah was clinging to him while he wept. "Noah, Noah, Noah, oh God Noah. If this is a dream, I never want to wake up again." He clung to his boyfriend and Noah rubbed circles on his back, tears wetting his shirt, "You're not dreaming Luke, I promise. I'm really here and we're really together."

Luke couldn't help himself; he started to kiss Noah anywhere he could. He turned his head and began with kissing Noah's neck and then moved onto his face, where he peppered it with quick kisses until he reached Noah's lips. When he reached Noah's mouth he stopped and looked into his boyfriend's eyes, seeing them full of love and tears. Luke stared at those beautiful eyes and watched as Noah lowered his head and captured Luke's lips with his own. The sensation that coursed through Luke was electric, it felt like every time they touched, that same charge was going through Luke's body. The kiss was deep and passionate. It was as if neither man wanted it to end, each grabbing at the other in need. Luke was the first to break the kiss, the fact that his lower half was beginning to react to Noah's kisses caught his attention.

Luke looked at Noah, noticing that he seemed to be having difficulty breathing. His lips were kiss swollen and his hair was mussed from where Luke had been running his hands through it. Luke couldn't help but smile, "Noah… please tell me you're really here, that you've come to take me away." Noah took Luke's face in his hands and looked directly into his eyes, he would hate the next words that he had to say, "Luke, I am really here, but I can't take you away, not yet." He watched as Luke's eyes widened and pain took the place of love that had just been there moments ago. "Luke, please listen to me. I want to pick you up and take you out of here so badly, but I can't just yet. We have a plan but in order for us to get you and your mom out of here we are going to have to wait a little longer."

Noah could see the tears flowing freely from Luke's eyes and wanted nothing but to take his pain away. Luke looked down; he couldn't look into those eyes. This just proved that what was happening wasn't real, that he was once again dreaming. His Noah would have come in and taken him away from Damian, from this nightmare. Luke laid back on his pillows and turned his head away, "I knew this couldn't be real, just another stupid dream." Noah watched as Luke turned his head and closed his eyes, what had Damian done to his Luke. Luke was a fighter and he wouldn't give up this easily.

Noah climbed onto Luke's bed and laid his body on top of his lover's. He grasped his chin and turned Luke's face towards him, "Luke, look at me…please, Luke just look at me." Luke opened his eyes and found himself lost in the ocean blue eyes, "Hey. Does this feel like a dream?" Noah lowered his head and sucked on Luke's bottom lip. He swiped his tongue across Luke's lip asking for permission, which Luke gave readily. Noah's tongue slipped into Luke's mouth and tangled with his tongue. The kiss was so searing that Luke was sure he would catch on fire if it went on any longer. Just as Noah began to pull away Luke felt a sharp pain on his arm, "Ouch! Hey that hurt." Noah had just pinched Luke's arm and was smiling down at him, "Do you still think you're dreaming?" Luke's eyes widened in realization, he felt the pinch, he was awake and Noah was currently in his room lying on top of him. And best part of this was that Luke's body was reacting to Noah's in ways he hadn't felt in a long time. He could actually begin to feel his penis twitch.

"Noah, I can feel you." Noah looked at his boyfriend and smiled, "I told you this wasn't a dream and of course you felt the pinch." Luke shook his head, "No. I mean I can feel you lying on top of my legs. I can feel your cock against mine, and it feels so good." Noah looked into his boyfriend's eyes and saw the passion that was there before the accident and it only made him harder. He couldn't help but swoop down and claim Luke's mouth again. As the lovers kissed a beeping sound went off in the room. Noah groaned and pulled away from Luke, "I'm sorry Luke I was given a ten minute window. God knows I don't want to leave you." Noah once again took possession of Luke's mouth, then raised himself up and looked down at Luke. He wanted so badly to take his pain away, but all he could do was kiss away the tears that were flowing down his face. He climbed off the bed but could not leave without grabbing Luke once more and holding him against his body. They both held each other, neither wanting to be the one to let go. Unfortunately Noah's watch decided at that moment to go off again. He stepped away from Luke but placed his hand on Luke's cheek one more time, feeling Luke turn his head and rest it against Noah's hand, "I'll be around, we're here for a few days. Damian is having some big party in a few days and I'm on the staff. Luke, if you see me you must not show that you know me. Max and Antonio have a plan, and we need to set things up here in order to get you both out safely."

Luke did not want to let go of Noah, but he knew that he wouldn't leave without his mother, so he did the hardest thing he ever had to do, he let go, and watched as the love of his life walk away from him, again.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WISH I DID. THIS IS JUST FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES, NO INCOME IS MADE.**

**Okay, I'm a horrible, horrible person. I haven't updated this in so long, and to those who are keeping up with it I apologize. Please forgive me :}**

**This chapter is pretty short. I wanted the readers to know what has been going on with Lily and how strong she is. This is a set up to the next chapter where our boys will make a return. I will give you a little gift since I've made you wait, Noah will see something that will piss him off. He will have to save Luke from more then just Damian's grasp. Hope that little tidbit gets me in the good graces again.**

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The Search – Chapter 15

**What He Wants **

_Grimaldi Compound 2 days later_

Lily had been pacing in her room for the past half hour. The last message she had gotten from Luke had informed her that Noah was in the compound, and that there was a plan to get them out. She had destroyed the note right after she read it, as she had done with all the others that she had received from her son. Lily was glad to know that Luke was doing better and that there were no lasting side effects from what Kreiger and Damian had done to him. She smiled when she thought of how strong her son was. He was able to pull himself out of those lies that had been implanted in his head; he was so much like Holden in that regard. Even though Luke was not Holden's biological son, it proved that biology had nothing to do with the person they became. She loved Holden so much for all he'd given her and Luke, and she could not wait to put her arms around him and hold him close once more. This time she would never let go.

Lily knew that she had to do something to help them. She had to be able to communicate with Luke in person and she so desperately wanted to put her arms around her son. She knew what she had to do, and it would not be easy. Lily was now waiting for Damian to come to her room, she had requested, no insisted he come and see her. She knew that if this plan was to work she would have to convince him that she was willing to try and be his wife again. Luke had written her a letter that Damian was having a party this upcoming weekend, and Lily knew how Damian liked to have her on his arm to show off. She shivered at the thought of being treated like his property, because that was how he tended to act with her when they were at a social gathering. He would have her right arm looped through his bended left arm, while he held her close to him keeping a firm hold on her hand with his right hand resting on her hand. The thought of this made Lily fight back the nausea that threatened to rise up her throat. But if she ever wanted to see her children and Holden again, she would do what she had to, whatever she had to, she only prayed that Holden would forgive her one day.

Lily stopped pacing when she heard the lock on her door turn and watched as the door slowly opened. She smiled to herself. How many times had he opened the door only to find an object flying towards his head? Lily would find any object she could throw and pitch it as hard as she could toward whomever happened to be coming into the room, she silently thanked the Snyder's and their family picnics, which included playing softball. Of course at first she learned the game so that Holden would have to stand behind her showing how to hold the bat, while she wiggled her hip against his, smiling each time she felt his reaction, and watching Holden walk away with a slight limp.

Lily was brought out of her reverie by the sound of Damian's voice as he entered her room, _"Cara, you asked to see me?"_ He walked up to her placing his hands on her shoulders, then slowly lifting his right hand to her face, touching her tenderly while he looked into her eyes. Lily, did all she could to contain the shiver of disgust that was running up her body. She smiled her best smile and looked down timidly then back up to meet Damian's lustful stare, which he quickly turned into a look of love. Lily wasn't fooled though, she had seen the look that would help her succeed with her plan. _"Damian, I need to ask for you for something." _Before she could finish her sentence Damian interrupted, _"anything you want Cara, I will give you, all you need do is ask." _Lily took a deep breath, _"I want to see Luke…and before you answer I just want to say that I'll do anything you ask. I won't tell Luke the truth, and I'll go along with everything you want me to say."_ Damian looked at Lily with disbelief on his face. She knew he wouldn't believe her at first, so before he had a chance to process what she said she took Damian's hand from her face and brought it to her lips, never taking her eyes off Damian's face as it went from disbelief to shock, as she kissed each tip of the fingers on his hand. Lily watched as Damian swallowed hard and closed his eyes briefly, only to open them again, his pupils blown wide lust and desire.

Before she could react, Damian had picked her up in his arms and walked towards her bed, placing her gently on the mattress while he began to drape his body over hers. Lily tried to speak, she knew that this might happen, but she wanted to be certain that he would do as she asked before she gave up what little power she had over him. As he began to kiss her passionately and his hands moved to start unbutton her blouse, Lily tried to stop what was would certainly happen if she didn't stop him now, _"Damian….please wait…"_ Lily pushed against his body, trying desperately to get him to slow down, though her body was weak from weeks of being drugged, _"Damian, not like this…..please. I'll do whatever you want...please just let me see our son." _With those words Lily was able to get through past Damian's desire, just like she knew they would. Damian pulled away from Lily's neck where he had been tasting her skin, trying to mark her as his. He looked down at his Lily lying underneath him, her eyes full of fear. He moved off her and stood up from the bed, taking deep breaths trying to bring his body under control, _'god, how this woman could make him feel,'_ he thought as he turned his back to her fighting to bring his body back under his control.

Damian knew who could deny Lily nothing. He knew she held a power over him, her love and devotion. Damian never stopped wanting Lily, since the first time he laid eyes on her all those years ago, and she was beautiful now as she was then. When she gave him a son, his love grew exponentially. The memories of that night always haunt Damian, his belief that Luciano wasn't his, and that fact that he was not at the hospital when he was needed the most, almost caused Luciano his life, that will be a regret that he would never get over. Now was his chance to have it all, his wife and his son at his side as they were meant to be. Damian was no fool, he knew that Lily must be up to something, but if he could get what he wanted from her, then he would pretend to believe her, but he would watch her constantly.

He turned around and looked down at the beautiful woman in his bed, willing to do what he wanted, _'not yet Cara, but soon,'_ he thought to himself. He smiled at Lily, _"alright, Cara, you may see Luciano, but do not make me regret this decision. You do not want him to have to endure more time with Mr. Kreiger, do you?" _Lily, felt her blood run cold, she couldn't stop her eyes from widening in fear. She watched as Damian smiled at her reaction, knowing that he made his point. All she could do was nod, finding that she couldn't use her voice, for fear of that if she spoke she would begin to cry. Damian extended his arms out to Lily, in a gesture to help her up from the bed. As Lily lifted her hand to reach for his she couldn't stop the slight tremor that ran down her arm. She hoped that Damian had not seen that but was disappointed when she looked up at his eyes and saw a knowing look come across his face, along with a smirk.

As he lifted Lily from the bed, he pulled her so quickly that she couldn't stop her momentum and ended up wrapped in his arms with her feet dangling off the floor. Before Lily could push away, Damian was kissing her. Lily knew if she wanted to see her son again she could not resist Damian, so she did what she had to and she kissed him back. Allowing him to part her lips and insert his tongue into her mouth. The intrusion was almost more than Lily could bare but she closed her eyes tight and thought of the one man she wanted to be kissing her at the moment, Holden. Damian pulled away, a smile on his face; he knew that Lily would soon be his unconditionally. Lily felt herself being lowered back on the ground and she couldn't help but feel relief as she looked into Damian's eyes and saw his belief that she would be his. Damian's obsession gave him blinders, and hopefully Lily would be able to take advantage of that. She placed her hand on Damian's cheek, _"Damian, please let me see Luke. I'm begging you, let me see my son." _Damian took hold of Lily's hand on his cheek. He lifted it of his face and brought it to his lips, kissing the palm of her hand. Lily smiled at Damian, yet in her head she was screaming, _"alright, Cara, I will let you see Luciano." _Lily wanted to jump for joy, but kept the smile on her face, that was until Damian added a condition to her request, _"but you will have to do something for me."_ Lily removed her hand from his grasp, turning away from Damian, ready to do whatever it took, but afraid to ask, _"wha….what do you want me to do Damian?"_

Damian walked up behind Lily, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him, _"marry me."_ Lily watched as Damian bent down and claimed her mouth, somewhere in the back of her mind Lily wondered how she could still be standing when she couldn't even feel her legs. As Damian pulled away, Lily did what she hoped would help her get her son to safety, _"yes Damian, I'll marry you."_


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, I'm a horrible person again. All I can say is that I'm trying my best to update but I'm only human you know. So here is 16, hope you all forgive my tardiness in getting it up so late. Enjoy, and please review.**

**Disclaimer: of course I wish I owned them, but I don't. This is all for the soul purpose of my entertainment, no money is made.**

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**The Search – Chapter 16**

**Hulk**

Luke couldn't believe it when Damian had come into his room to tell him that his mother had finally woken up from her coma. Of course Luke new the truth, but he wondered how his mother had convinced Damian to allow them to see one another. It couldn't be a something good, Luke knew Damian all too well, and now he feared that his mother had made a deal with the devil for him. It had been 2 days since he and Noah had talked and Luke could still feel Noah's lips on his when he closed his eyes and remembered there few moments together. These memories were what were getting him through these extremely painful days.

Luke's physical therapy sessions were going great. He was beginning to feel again and he could actually move his toes. The down side to this miracle was that he was also experiencing painful muscle spasms in his legs. It was as if the weeks of disuse and whatever Damian had been injecting him with were combining to torture his body. The therapist was stumped as to why Luke would be getting these cramps and was trying his hardest to help him through them. When they first began it was during one on his sessions and Luke's legs began to shake uncontrollably. It was as if every muscle in his legs decided to cramp at the same time and he could do nothing but scream in agony. The therapist and Luke's personal guard had to hold him down as the doctor was called in to give him a muscle relaxer.

As Luke thrashed around and screamed he noticed Noah standing hidden in a dark hallway across from the room. He could see the panic look in Noah's face, and could tell that he wanted nothing more than to run to his side and comfort him. From his point of view Luke could see that Noah was struggling with someone who seemed to be holding him back, and he knew that he had to get him the message not to come to him. Luke had an idea, and he hoped it would fool anyone who may be eavesdropping; Damian. Luke sighed heavily fell back onto the bed and hoped that he had the acting skills to make them believe that he had passed out. He knew that his father was aware of his nightmares, so he took advantage of that and suddenly sat up screaming out to Noah, **_"NOAH! STOP….NO! Plea…se…..Noah…no!_** Then he fell back against the bed and closed his eyes again, praying that Noah would understand. The doctor was at his side instantly injecting Luke with a sedative.

Luke knew that he had no choice but to lie there and accept what was happening, he couldn't risk all their lives. While the sedative was working its' way through Luke's body, he was still conscious of the fact that his personal guard was standing right next to his bed, his hands slightly touching Luke's thigh. Luke couldn't contain the shiver of fear that ran through his body. He was about to lose consciousness and this monster was going to be alone with him in his room. Luke opened his eyes and looked up into the face of his nightmare and watched him smile. It was more of a leer then a smile, this animal looked like a predator about to devour its' prey. Luke fought as long as he could but the sedative was too strong and the last words out of his lips were said so softly spoken that only the nightmare guarding him heard, _"No…a…h…"_ Luke watched as he fought against the impending darkness the man's smile grow bigger as his hands began to move to other parts of Luke's body, parts that would only ever belong to Noah, that only Noah would ever be allowed to touch. As the darkness descended Luke prayed to the God he believed in that this nightmare would be kept away from him.

Noah fought against Antonio's grip as he heard Luke screaming in agony. They had been setting up an arrangement of flowers across from the physical therapy room, when he heard Luke scream in pain. He looked over in time to watch Luke clutching his legs, which seemed to be shaking of their own accord. Luke's face was flushed and even from the distance between the room and the hallway where Noah and Antonio stood, he could see Luke's hair plastered to his forehead, wet with sweat, and his face contorted in agony. Just a few minutes before Noah had caught Luke's eyes while the therapist was working on moving Luke's legs up and down, as he had down once himself, not that long ago. Noah looked away, he knew they couldn't get caught and if he kept looking at Luke he knew sooner or later someone would notice. He had just turned his back when the scream cut through his body and stopped his heart cold.

Antonio had a tight grip on Noah's arms and was dragging him further back into the hallway. They both stopped when Noah heard Luke say his name. **_"NOAH! STOP….NO! Plea…se…..Noah…no!_** Noah knew that Luke was sending him a message and he stopped fighting Antonio as he dragged him into an empty room, _"boy….I will not tell you this again. You cannot go to him."_ Noah looked down; he knew that he was letting his feelings get in the way of them doing what was needed. But his love for Luke was so strong, that hearing him in pain caused a knee jerk reaction. Antonio grabbed Noah's chin and raised it to meet his eyes, _"do you understand me? You could have ended this right here and now. Is that what you want, Noah? Do you want all the hard work to be for nothing?"_ Noah pulled his face away from Antonio's grip, _"I know I was wrong, and I am sorry. But hearing him scream in that kind of pain…..it just…..it…it was reflex. It won't happen again. I'm sorry Antonio, I won't fail you or all the others who are helping us." _ Noah straightened his shoulders took a deep breath and centered himself, like his therapist had taught him, those first few weeks prior to his surgery and the month after. He thought back to those days and realized how much he had needed those sessions, so much more than he ever believed.

_Dallas, TX_

Shortly after arriving in Dallas, Noah found out that part of the requirement to his surgery was to see a psychiatrist. It was for the good of the patients who had the possibility of their surgery not working. Noah was in no way pleased with this bit of information, but he was told if he did not do it then he could not have the surgery. They had to be sure that he would be alright and not try to hurt himself if the surgery failed.

The first day of this forced therapy as he liked to think of it was the day after he arrived in Dallas. He was to go to see the Psychiatrist first then some more physical therapy. Noah waited impatiently in the waiting room of Dr. Timothy Harris. He couldn't quite keep his leg from bouncing up and down impatiently and secretly wishing Luke was with him to hold his hand. Noah threw out that thought as soon as it hit him, he wanted independence from Luke and he got it. Luke had broken up with him before he left for Texas.

Noah tried to explain to Luke why he needed the space and time away from him, _"I will never be the same Noah Mayer I was before."_ He knew Luke wouldn't understand that he would keep pushing, but that was Luke, _"Dr. Oliver doesn't think that's true."_ Noah was beginning to get frustrated, he couldn't seem to make Luke understand what he was saying, _"Dr. Oliver is sure he can give me my sight back, and I want a Doctor who's sure. But I can't be…I can't be, cause I'm going to have to live the rest of my life like this if he fails."_ What happened next tore through Noah's soul as he listened to the realization hit Luke, _"then why do you think you need to learn all of this stuff on your own if we're gonna to be together? Noah….what are you trying to say here?"_ Noah's walls went up and he put on the mask he kept very well secured in his mind, so not to show how his insides where twisting and making him want to die from just listening to the pain in Luke's voice, _"you know…we don't know what's going to happen."_

Noah wished so hard he could reach out and touch Luke, take away the pain he was causing him. He knew Luke wouldn't stop and that he was getting really close to understanding where Noah was leading them, he could hear the break in Luke's voice as he spoke, _"well, I always thought that we both knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together."_ Noah could feel Luke's breath close to him, he could smell him, that scent that was uniquely Luke, but he had to keep his mask in place, he knew what he had to do, he couldn't burden Luke with a blind man for the rest of his life, he deserved so much more, so when Noah spoke he said the words that he knew would anger Luke, _"things change."_ Luke was getting angry and Noah knew his breaking point was coming, _"please stop using that excuse."_

Noah's resolve was slowly crumbling, but he pulled it back, _"I'm sorry, I wish I….I could make this easier…I wish I could do this better, but I can't. It's just what I need to do."_ Luke was trying so hard not to break down and Noah knew what was coming next, _"what about what I need?"_ Noah knew he wouldn't be able to keep some of his emotions out of his voice, even though he tried, _"I'm sorry. Hey…I…I know that this is selfish, but I'm just being honest."_ That was it; that was going to be the breaking point for Luke and Noah knew it. He could hear Luke take a deep breath, reading himself for what he was about to say, _"I'm sorry too, because…honestly Noah, I need more from you, and if you can't give me that, then I can't do this anymore."_

Ever the stronger of the two, Noah kept his emotions in check, and tried not to let Luke know how much this was killing him inside. Luke of course wore his heart on his sleeve, and Noah could hear the tears in his voice and the small gasps Luke tried to hold in. When they hugged goodbye, he could feel Luke's body shaking with sobs and his tears where soaking through Noah's sweater. Even then as Luke tried to tell Noah that he loved him, _"Noah….I….",_ Noah cut him off with his standard answer that didn't give away too much, _"yeah…same here…"_

Noah was brought out of his memories by the sound of the receptionist telling him that the doctor was ready to see him. It took months of work for Noah to realize why he did what he did to Luke. Dr. Harris was very good at what his job, he got past Noah's walls and helped him see that he left Luke before Luke could leave him. They were going to be tough sessions and it turned out that the therapy was not just to make sure he was stable enough to handle a letdown if the surgery failed, but to also help him come to terms with what he did to others who tried to love him and help him.

It had been 2 weeks after his surgery and he was still being brought down to have his sessions with Dr. Harris. The bandages where coming off and he knew that it if he didn't see right away, then he would have to deal with being blind for the rest of his life, as well as alone. He was sure that Luke would have moved on by now, especially after the way Noah had treated him. How could he not, Luke was one of the most beautiful people Noah had ever seen, even though Luke said women were beautiful and he wasn't, Noah would never stop thinking that he was so wrong. When the doctor asked Noah to tell him about someone he loved, to describe this person, the only face that came to his mind was Luke's. He took a deep breath and began, _"Luke….Luke is beautiful and I don't mean just on the outside. He loves unconditionally and sacrifices for those he loves most. His hair is this beautiful shade of dark yellow, I guess you could call it gold, and his smile, God, his smile lights up a room. He has these beautiful dimples that used to make my knees week, I wanted to always make him smile just so I could see them. And his….his eyes are this rich chocolate brown, that when they look at you, it's like they're looking into your soul and you want nothing more than to get lost in them." _Noah stopped, he could feel his cheeks ache from how hard he had been smiling while thinking of Luke, and realized that he hadn't smiled like that in a long time.

Dr. Harris watched as Noah's face lit up. It was the first time he'd actually seen Noah really happy. And it all stemmed from his memories of the man he loved. The Doctor was never good at coddling his patients, he knew he had to call Noah out on what he was feeling, no matter how hard it would be, _"I notice that your face seems to light up and you have the biggest smile on your face Noah, when you say his name. Why is that Noah, if you're no longer with Luke?" _ Noah, knew he had been smiling but he wasn't expecting the Doctor to be so blunt with his questions as to why. He stopped smiling immediately and tried to hide behind his mask again. "_I guess I can't help it. Luke and I had what we thought at the time to be a great love. I was young and naïve and I guess I still have a bit of those old emotions inside. Luke is a great person he loves to help people and deserves the best life can give him…not…." _ Noah stopped himself before he could finish that sentence, but Dr. Harris was not going to let him get away with that, _"not..what, Noah? Not some blind guy who can't even take care of himself. Not some burden that he'd have to carry for the rest of his life. Or maybe, not to have to make the choice of leaving you when he realizes that you are damaged beyond repair." _ Noah sat stunned, he'd never known someone who was this blunt, _"I thought you were here to help me, not make me feel like crap?"_ Noah, could hear the doctor inhale, almost like he was trying to calm himself before he spoke again, _"I am here to help you Noah, but I'm not here to coddle or to facilitate you in your need to lie to yourself. I will not help you deny what you were really thinking and feeling when you left Oakdale, and Luke behind."_ Noah, could feel the tears running down his cheeks, he hadn't realized until that moment that he had been crying. _"Is our time up yet? I'm really tired and I want to get some rest."_ Again Noah could hear the doctor take a deep breath before he spoke, _"alright Noah, I see that we still have work ahead of us. But don't think that this conversation is over."_ Noah could hear the Doctor stand and open the door for the nurse who was waiting with his wheelchair to take him back to his room.

As he sat in his room alone all he could do was think about what Dr. Harris had said. How he was afraid that Luke would one day realize his mistake and leave Noah. No one wants to be burdened for the rest of their lives with someone who can't take care of themselves. At least that was what Noah believed, so why not push Luke away before he could leave Noah, like his mother did. Noah curled up in his bed and cried. He wept tears for his loss, for Luke who because of his own stupidity he probably lost forever. Noah could picture Luke's face in his head, he could see those beautiful expressive brown eyes that always let Noah know how he was feeling. Whether they were sad, happy, or Noah's favorite, horny, Noah could always read Luke by the way that he looked at him. But when he lost the ability to see Luke's eyes and to be able to read Luke's feelings he knew that they would never be the same again, and that Luke would one day get tired of Noah not being fully there for him. So he did, what he does best, he pushed Luke away. He pushed him so hard this time, that maybe there would be no coming back from it. He would have to try though, no matter how long it took, he would find a way to get Luke back. He had to.

The next day his bandages came off, and Noah could only see blurred images, but he could see. It took some more weeks of therapy and marathon sessions with Dr. Harris before Noah decided to go back to Oakdale, back to Luke, if he would have him. Then all hell broke loose and Noah lost Luke again.

Noah snapped out of his memories when Antonio began to shake him, _"Noah…Noah, are you alright. Does your head hurt again?" _ Noah opened his eyes, they were moist with unshed tears but he pushed it back and answered his worried friend, _"no, Antonio, thank you for worrying, but I'm fine. I was just taking control of my emotions. A technique I learned in Texas." _He smiled when he saw the confused look Antonio was giving him, _"really, I'm fine. Let's get back out there before anyone realizes we're missing."_ As they stepped back out into the hallway Noah noticed that Damian was outside of Luke's room talking with his doctor. He looked back in the room, through the glass walls and saw that Luke was alone with his personal guard and unconscious. As Noah watched he saw the man look up toward Damian and the Doctor, as if he were trying to determine if they could see him or not.

The man took advantage that Damian and the Doctor where busy talking and he did something that made Noah want to run into that room and tear his head off. The huge muscled man was touching Luke. He wasn't just touching him though; he was caressing Luke's body. Luke lay unconscious on the bed and this man was running his huge fingers through Luke's hair, then he was slowly sliding his hands down, touching Luke like only Noah should ever touch him. He watched as this giant licked his lips and closed his eyes as his hands traveled to Luke's groin. It took Antonio holding him back and pinning him up against the wall with his hand covering Noah's mouth to keep Noah from screaming and running into that room, _"Noah, do not do this. It's almost over I promise. Luke will be safe soon."_ Noah could only turn his head slightly as he watched this behemoth of a man pick up Luke's unconscious body and carry him toward his room. He was going to be alone with a helpless Luke and Noah was ready to go find the gun Antonio had hidden in the kitchen and use it on him. Fortunately, just as Noah was going to break free of Antonio he watched as Damian headed to Luke's room.

Even though Noah could see Damian enter the room he was still in a panic, since this animal had been alone with Luke for at least ten minutes, which felt more like 10 hours to Noah as he wondered what that animal was doing to Luke, while he couldn't fight back. Noah knew at the moment that he had no more doubts about using the guns that were hidden throughout various strategic places, and if he had to killing anyone who tried to stop him from getting to Luke. This included this monster of a man who Noah knew would only go down with a bullet between the eyes. Noah shuddered as these thoughts came to him, and he knew that for a short while he would have to really become the Colonels son; _'wouldn't he be proud'_, Noah thought sarcastically. Noah looked around the corner to Luke's room and whispered mainly to himself, _"I'm coming Luke, just hold on a little longer. I won't let him hurt you."_

Antonio stood behind this young man and watched his transformation. It scared him to see the cold look in Noah's eyes as he stared at the closed door to Luke's room. He had no doubt that if he had let Noah get away he would have gotten one of the guns and shot the man who had been touching Luke, right between the eyes. Antonio watched as Noah's body shook from his anger and frustration of not being able to help the one he loved. He watched this gentle loving young man turn into something else, a cold calculated killer. Antonio had seen that look before in men whom he knew where pushed to the brink and beyond. He had seen that look in his own eyes after his wife had been attacked. He wanted nothing more than to kill the sons of bitches that hurt her, that took her away from him, not just physically but mentally as well. If it hadn't been for his children he would have gotten as many weapons as he could and killed every single criminal he saw until they took him out. All Antonio could hope now was that this transformation Noah was going through was only temporary, and not just for his sake but for those who loved him as well. The party was in a few days and Antonio prayed that Noah would be able to hold out long enough for their plan to come to the conclusion they all hoped would end this nightmare.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello to this who have kept up with this little story of mine. I want to start by saying how sorry I am. I've been so horrible about updating this story. I could go on and on with excuses, but I won't. Let's just say, life happens. Well, this chapter has man on man action and is pretty explicit, so if you don't like that kind of thing, then why are you reading fiction on this site. So with no futher ado, I really hope you like this chapter.**

**Please review, I'd love to know what you think.**

**oh, and this site is really tricky when it comes to formatting, so please forgive me if the formatting sucks, really it's not my fault.**

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**The Search – Chapter 17**

**Reunion**

Luke awoke to find himself, lying in his bed, his shirt and pants removed. He was dressed in only pajama pants. Luke looked around his room disoriented, as he looked out his windows he noticed that it was dark outside. The last thing Luke remembered was working with the therapist on some very painful exercises. As he wracked his mind trying to remember all of a sudden the memories all came rushing back. The muscle spasms, and Noah fighting with someone trying to get to across the hallway to him. Luke having to pretend to be caught up in a nightmare in order to get a message to his boyfriend not to come to him. The memories of what happened to Luke were fuzzy but they were beginning to clear as Luke thought more and more about what had happened right before he was knocked out. As he lay in bed, he went through the events of the day over and over in his head, and that was when it hit him. Luke sat up, his body shaking as the memory of his personal guard touching him came back to him. He remembered as he laid on the therapy bed, between consciousness and unconsciousness, how the monster he had come to know as 'Hulk' was touching him in a way only Noah had ever.

Luke's body began to shudder at the thoughts of what that man may have done to him while he was unconscious. Luke brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, this was a habit he had since childhood, so the fact that he had just moved his legs didn't dawn on him until he felt the wetness from his tears soak through his pajama pants and wet his knee. It was only when he felt the moisture on his legs that he realized what he had done. He removed his arms from around his legs and just stared at them; he seemed to be in shock and couldn't quite believe what he was looking at. Luke warily moved his legs so that they stretched out in front of him. He stared down at his legs and spoke his thoughts out loud, _"this has got to be a dream….yeah, that's it. I'm not really awake and I'm just dreaming this." _ Luke reached down and pinched his legs, both at the same time, and yelped in pain. Tears began to flow from his eyes as the realization that he felt the pinches hit him.

Luke tentatively swung his legs off the bed and placed his feet on the carpeted floor. He stood up and carefully tested his legs strength while still holding onto the mattress. He straightened up and with both arms out to the side for balance he moved his right leg forward, then his left. It was a slow process and a bit painful, but Luke was able to make it across his room and to the loveseat that sat next to the window he would stare out of all day. Luke wanted so badly to jump for joy, but a wave of exhaustion was beginning to hit him. He'd forgotten how it had felt when first started walking again the first time. He sat down in the loveseat and felt his body give in as his eyes began to close.

Luke was unsure how long he had been asleep in the chair when he heard a noise coming from his door. From his vantage point in the chair Luke could see that someone was tampering with the lock and turning the knob. He wanted so bad to get up and get back to his bed, but couldn't help feeling lethargic. Luke knew there was no way he could make it back to his bed on time. He just hoped that he could come up with a story that would be believable as to how he had gotten across the room. He wasn't quite ready for Damian to know that he could walk again. Luke watched as the door slowly opened, but he couldn't see the person who was still in shadow standing underneath the alcove that was between his door and his bedroom. He could hear his own pulse in his ears as it quickened with a new thought, _'could it be him?'_ Luke knew there wasn't much he would be able to do to fight that monster off, but he'd be damned if he'd just let him do whatever he wanted to him. Just as he was about to yell out the figure moved into the bit of moonlight that was shining into his room, and Luke's voice caught in his throat at the sight, _"Noah….."_

Before he could get another word out Noah had crossed the room and they were in each other's arms. Without realizing it, Luke had stood up and practically leapt into Noah's arms. Noah was kissing all of Luke's face, his hands roaming up and down Luke's back as he held the smaller man off the ground. Luke could hear him saying something between kisses, but was too busy crying to understand them. At some point Luke had wrapped his legs around Noah's waist and Noah was walking them back towards Luke's bed. They were both so busy trying hard to taste one another and it seemed as if Noah was trying to climb inside Luke through his mouth that they didn't notice that they had reached the bed until they were falling onto it with a 'humph' coming from both men, Noah landing on top of Luke. Though, the slight shock of falling onto the bed couldn't separate their lips from one another. It wasn't until Noah pulled away and stared down at his boyfriend that Luke could make out his word, _"I love you so much….I'll never leave you again. I need you….I…need to feel you Luke."_

Luke looked up at his boyfriend, his soul mate, and he nodded. He didn't trust his voice at the moment, for fear that he would cry. Luke watched as Noah's hands seemed to worship his chest, slowly making their way down towards his crotch, stopping at his nipples and gently stroking each one with his thumbs. Luke was sure that his body was going to go up in flames, with the heat that seemed to be radiating from those fingers. He watched as Noah placed soft kisses all over his stomach and then worked his way up to Luke's chest, where he gently but urgently took Luke's right nipple into his mouth. Noah's tongue swirled and sucked on Luke's already sensitive bud and he couldn't stop himself from arching his back and pushing his nipple further into Noah's warm mouth. Luke knew they had to be quite, but he almost cried out when Noah bit down on the sensitive bud, then licked it to sooth the slight pain. Once he was done with the right side Noah moved on to the left, where he paid the same wonderful attention to that he had its twin. And even though Luke knew what to expect it still caught him off guard when Noah once again bit down on the taut bud then gently licked the pain away. Luke knew if he didn't stop soon, this would be over sooner then he'd like. He reached over and grabbed Noah's face, lifting it off his chest. The look of pure lust that was in those beautiful blue eyes almost blew Luke away. For a moment he forgot what it was he was going to say, almost, _"Noah…baby…if….you don't stop doing that…" _The look in Noah's eyes was taking Luke's breath away, he had to look away or he would never finish saying what he wanted to say, _"..I'm…going to…come…right now. God, I love you so much, Noah…and I want this to last, but unfortunately we don't have all night."_

Noah climbed back up Luke's body and claimed his mouth. He had never wanted something so much in his life as much as he wanted to be inside of Luke again. He knew that they didn't have all night for him to worship his boyfriend like he wanted to, but he didn't want it to be a quick fuck either. They still had at least 4 hours before sunrise and he would use each minute of those hours to show Luke how much he loved him, and how sorry he was that it took him so long to realize how his life would be empty without him. When they came up for much needed air Noah looked into his boyfriends beautiful chocolate eyes and could see his love reflected back at him. His elbows were now on either side of Luke's head; allowing Noah the mobility to lift his arms and run his fingers through Luke's beautiful soft hair. As he stared into Luke's eyes, he also saw the forgiveness Luke was giving him.

A lump formed in his throat and he had to take a moment before he spoke, _"Luke….I…I love you so much. I'm so sorry…so sorry for my stupidity…I just…"_ Luke stopped Noah from continuing by placing a finger on his lips, _"Noah…there's no need. I know you love me. We will have to talk. But not now. I promise that I forgive you, and that I want to spend the rest of my life having you make it up to me."_ Noah saw the smirk on Luke's face and couldn't help but laugh. Luke's hand had moved from his boyfriends lips to his hair. He ran his fingers through those soft curls and couldn't help but remember how much he loved to do just that. Luke brought Noah's head back down and captured Noah's mouth in his. The kiss left them breathless and both very painfully hard. Luke was the first to pull away, _"now…I just want one thing from you Mr. Mayer. I want you to make hot passionate love to me, until my eyes roll to the back of my head, or I pass out from the sheer ecstasy. Do you think you can do that?"_ Noah grinned as he brought his hand down and found Luke's erection, "_I think I can manage that."_

Luke moaned as Noah rubbed his palm up and down against his very hard cock. He couldn't stop his hips from thrusting into Noah's hand. Noah was kissing his neck now, and he was on the spot that always drove Luke crazy. The bend where the neck and shoulder meet was always a very sensitive spot for Luke, and when Noah figured out just how great it made Luke feel when he would bite down on that area, he would use it to get Luke to watch his old black and whites on movie night. At the moment Luke would have done anything Noah wanted as long as he kept his hand and mouth where they were. All too quickly though, Noah had moved away from Luke's neck, and Luke whimpered in protest. Luke could hear Noah's breathy laugh and was about to say something in defense of his whimper when Noah began to suck Luke's nipple into his mouth again. This time it was a groan that escaped Luke's lips before he could stop it. In one swift movement his hand worked its way under Luke's pajama pants and was currently stroking Luke's aching cock slowly. His mouth moved further down Luke's chest, leaving trails of kisses down his chest to his flat stomach.

Luke watched as Noah removed his hand from inside his pants, and again he whimpered. Noah looked up at Luke from his position right at Luke's crotch. He put both hands on the waistband of his pants and pulled them down and over his very prominent erection. The cool air hitting his sensitive cock made it twitch. After Noah had rid Luke of his pajama bottoms he worked his way back up Luke's body, planting kisses up his legs, all the while opening them up so that he could get better access to what he felt he had been starving for, for far too long. He trailed kissed up Luke's inner thighs until he reached the most beautiful site in the world, or at least his world, Luke's cock.

Luke watched as the man he loved worshipped his body, literally from his toes up to his very hard cock. He knew at the beginning of their sexual relationship Noah was hesitant to take Luke into his mouth. His father had done a number on him, and though he was free of the man, his hate was still imbedded in Noah's mind. Though, as their relationship progressed Luke found that Noah seemed to love to take Luke deep into his throat. It seemed to turn him on as much as it did Luke. He watched as Noah's tongue slightly moistened his lips just before he took Luke into his warm mouth.

Noah had experience with Luke's body's reaction every time he did this, so he was prepared when Luke tried to lift his hips off the bed. Noah had already placed his hands on Luke's hips in order to hold him down as he took him deep into his throat and swallowed around him. Noah knew that any other time Luke would be screaming profanities and telling Noah how good he felt, but for now he looked up to find his boyfriend with a pillow covering his head, as he tried not to scream. The pleasure that he was giving Luke was turning Noah on just as much, and he could feel his straining cock against his jeans zipper. Noah reached down and unzipped his pants in order to relive some to the pressure. In doing this his cock fell out of his jeans, due to the fact that he had in fact gone commando today. As he bobbed up and down on Luke's shaft he cupped Luke's balls with his right hand as his left went to work on himself. All of a sudden Noah could feel Luke tugging at his hair, pulling him off of him. Noah looked up in confusion, not sure if he had done something wrong, but the look of lust and love being sent to him by Luke left him with no doubt that he was doing everything right.

Luke looked down at Noah, his blue eyes turned dark with passion and his lips slightly swollen, it was the most beautiful sight Luke had ever seen. He knew that if Noah didn't stop he would come and he didn't want to come this way, at least not tonight, _"Noah, baby…please...I need you inside me when I come."_ It didn't take much more than those words before Noah was on his feet taking off his clothes, then he was back between Luke's legs, lifting them onto his shoulders. It was then that he realized that they didn't have any lube or condoms. Noah paused for a moment unsure as to what to do. Luke knew his boyscout boyfriend well and knew what he was thinking. _"Noah, please, don't stop now. I haven't been with anyone but you."_

Luke looked up at his love and realized that maybe Noah had been with someone while he was in Texas and that was why he was worried. Noah saw the quick look of pain that came across Luke's eyes, and realized what his hesitation would mean to him, _"Luke….baby, there hasn't been anyone else for me either."_ The look of relief on Luke's face made Noah sad, what he had done to this wonderful man to make him doubt his love for him, it was something that he would have to fix soon. Noah still didn't move and Luke was beginning to wonder if maybe he changed his mind, but before Luke could ask Noah spoke, _"I don't want to hurt you…we need something that can work as a lubricant. It's been too long, Luke, I know that it will painful for you. Maybe we shouldn't do this now?"_ Luke knew there was no way in hell he was going to let Noah stop. He wracked his brain thinking about what he had in this room, close by, mainly because he didn't want Noah to move to far away from him. As he looked around his eyes fell on the message oil his therapist had given him, so he could rub his legs when they cramped.

Noah saw a smirk come across his lovers face and knew he had figured out how to solve their little problem. Luke looked at Noah his eyes full of lust. He raised himself enough to off the bed to reach Noah's mouth. A move that made Noah want to come right then and there. He'd almost forgotten how flexible his boyfriend was, that was until he watched him bend himself in half while Noah had his legs still up on his shoulders. If Luke didn't come up with something now, Noah was about to combust. Luke pulled away from the kiss and whispered, _"massage oil…nightstand…now."_ Noah was still reeling from the kiss, and found it hard to focus on Luke's words. All he could see was Luke's kiss swollen lips, and he found himself reaching down to capture those lips again, only to have Luke move away. This caused Noah to whimper and Luke to smile, _"Noah…please…hurry. The. Massage. Oil….on my nightstand, NOW, soldier."_ Those words made Noah stand at attention, or at least his cock did.

Noah loved a bossy Luke, and in this position it just made him want him more. He leaned over towards the nightstand and grabbed the oil. Then it all slowed down. Noah had poured some of the oil on his fingers and reached between Luke's legs. It had been too many months since they had been together and Noah knew that Luke would be tight, but he was unprepared for just how tight. As he inserted one oiled finger he could feel Luke's muscles clamping down on him, he groaned in ecstasy. At this rate Noah wasn't going to last past the foreplay. Noah kept his eyes on his boyfriend, staring deep into those chocolate lust filled eyes made Noah want to hurry the process and just take Luke right there and then, but he knew he had to go slow. There was no way in hell he would hurt Luke, he'd given him enough pain to last a lifetime. Noah watched as Luke's head fell back onto the mattress and he arched his back, bringing himself down onto Noah's finger. The pleasure he was feeling was driving him insane, if it was possible to die from blue balls Noah thought he was about ready to go.

Luke could feel Noah's finger pressing against his prostate, going in and out of his body and hitting that spot each and every time. It was as if Noah had memorized Luke's body and remembered exactly where everything was. Luke was breathing hard, his cock was straining against his stomach and precum fluid was leaking. If he didn't hurry this up, it would end before it had begun. Luke watched his boyfriends face, seeing fear that he might hurt him, and he knew he had to do something, or Noah would take his time. So he threw his head back and arched his spine, subsequently pushing himself down onto Noah's finger, causing Noah to groan. Luke smiled, he knew that would do the trick, and soon after Noah was inserting a second oiled finger and was using them in a scissoring pattern, trying to open Luke up enough to accept his cock. Luke couldn't take it anymore, he sat up on his elbows, staring at his sweat covered boyfriend, and said the words he knew would make Noah come undone, _"Dammit Noah, stop being such a boyscout…and just ….FUCK ME…already!" _ Luke watched as Noah's eyes widened and his pupil's expanded, black taking over the beautiful blue.

Noah removed his fingers, causing Luke to whimper. Noah lined himself up with Luke's entrance and began to push his now extremely hard cock into Luke's extremely tight hole. He knew he had to go slow, but his body was screaming for him to just push in hard and fast. Noah knew he couldn't and wouldn't do that to Luke, at least not yet. The head of his cock pushed past the tight ring of muscles that were now beginning to relax. He felt himself slowly entering deeper into Luke's body; all the while he kept watching his lover's face for any signs of pain or discomfort. All he could find was pleasure. As their bodies connected and Noah could go no further, he stopped, giving Luke time to adjust to him. Noah moved Luke's legs to just above his waist and at some point had put a pillow under Luke's ass, in order to give him comfort and Noah the ability to lean in and capture Luke's perfect lips.

They moved together in a rhythm they both knew so well, their bodies working together as one. Noah knew he had to be quiet, but as his cock moved in and out of Luke's body, all he wanted to do was scream in pleasure. Luke's legs wrapped around Noah's waist, as he pounded into the smaller man, holding on tight and forcing Noah even closer, if that was at all possible. Noah looked into the eyes of the only man he'll ever love and bent down to capture those beautiful swollen lips. That movement shifted his body in just the right way, so that his cock now had a more direct hit on Luke's prostate. Which in turn made Luke arch his body; causing Noah and him to be suspended in air for just a few seconds, but it felt like they had been floating for an eternity. Fortunately, Noah's mouth had been covering Luke's, muffling the scream that erupted from him. As they floated back down to the mattress Noah could feel Luke's legs wrapping even tighter around his waist. It was as if Luke wanted to hold him there permanently, and Noah was more than happy to be there. Noah continued to thrust his hips, slamming into Luke's body and hitting that spot over and over again. He wanted his lover to come before him, but knew that he couldn't hold out much longer. Not with Luke scratching his back and thrusting his hips to counter every movement Noah was making. He was about to reach between them to help Luke's release when Luke brought Noah back down and placed his head between Noah's neck and shoulder, stifling the scream of pleasure as he came between them, without Noah even touching him. Luke bit down on that muscle, and Noah could feel Luke's muscle spasm and tighten around his cock, milking him. Noah didn't think he would ever stop coming, as his body jerked and continued to pound into the body underneath him. All he could do was ride out the waves of ecstasy along with his lover, who also seemed to be continuing his own orgasm. After what seemed like an eternity their bodies gave out, and Noah fell on top of his lover, still connected. Their breathing was hard and each could feel the other's heartbeats as they lay chest to chest.

Noah was the first to move, pulling his head up so he could look into Luke's eyes. His breath caught in his throat as he noticed the tears sliding down the sides of Luke's face. Luke's eyes were closed and he did not see the fear in his boyfriend's eyes, but felt how quickly he seemed to have tensed. He opened his eyes slowly and stared into the eyes of the man he thought he lost forever, and realized what he was seeing, _"Noah, love, I'm alright. These are tears of utter happiness."_ Luke smiled when he saw the relief on Noah's face and reached up to cup his face and bring it down for a soft kiss. Now it was Noah's turn to cry. He thought he had lost everything when he lost his sight, and Luke had been his 'everything.'

Noah, laughed as he kissed Luke's face, peppering kisses wherever he could, then rolling them over, so that Luke was now straddling him, while still attached to his lover. This of course was not something new, it seemed as if Noah would always be half hard anytime Luke was around him, and the fact that he was very well endowed didn't hurt. Luke smirked as he realized that they still had hours before sunrise, and he could feel his boyfriend beginning to get his second wind. He leaned down and captured Noah's mouth, while at the same time moving his hips up and down, gaining a groan from his lover, _"L..….oh god..already?"_ Luke just smiled and continued his hip movements adding a little muscle contraction to it. Now it was Noah's turn to arch off the bed as his cock hardened instantaneously. Luke sat up now, looking down at the love of his life and knowing that he would never be able to have enough of this man. His legs were aching a little, but he didn't care, as he began to ride his boyfriends cock and elicit the most beautiful sound he could ever hear, _"Luke..I. Love. You. So mu..ch.."_ When they came this time it was much quicker than before, but just as wonderful. This time Noah reached for Luke's cock and brought him to climax at the same time as his hit him. Luke fell over onto Noah's chest breathing hard and totally sated. This time Luke pulled Noah out of him and fell over onto the mattress, his legs cramping a bit from over exertion, but Luke didn't care one bit. He placed his head on Noah's chest and began to drift off. He knew that when he woke Noah would be gone, but that he would be back and they would be together again soon, if all went as planned.

Before he could fully drift off he had to ask Noah for something he knew Noah would hate, _"Noah, I have to ask you to promise me something."_ Luke looked up from Noah's chest and saw the suspicion in Noah's eyes, _"please, bubby, you have to promise me this."_ Noah looked into his lovers eyes and saw his fear, _"Luke, please don't make me promise something I may not be able to do."_ Luke knew that what he said next would hurt Noah, but he had no choice, he wanted Noah safe, _"if you truly love me, you will."_ Luke could feel as well as hear Noah's sharp intake of breath, and he hated that he had to see pain in Noah's eyes, _"Luke, how can…how can you even say that? Of course I love you."_ Luke took a deep breath and continued, _"then you will promise me that you will not try and take on the man you've seen carrying me and.."_ he had to stop, he could feel the bile trying to force its way up his throat, at the thought of what this monster wanted to do to him, _"..and touching me. Promise me Noah, that no matter what you see him doing, you will not break your cover. If you do, then this will end with you dead and me a possible vegetable. Damian wiped my memory once, I'm certain he can do it again. And Noah, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to fight him again."_ Noah looked into Luke's tear filled eyes and knew he had no choice, if they were going to get him and Lily away from Damian, then he had to keep his distance. Noah looked away, unable to look at Luke as he said the next words, _"I promise Luke. But if I see that you are in danger, or that he's going to.."_ Noah couldn't finish that sentence as he felt a lump form in his throat. Luke cupped Noah's face with his hand and turned him to face him, _"hey, I'm a lot stronger then I look." _Luke smiled when Noah rolled his eyes, _"plus I have the element of surprise; he doesn't think I can walk yet. So please look at me when you make the promise." _Noah rolled Luke over and captured his lips again, _"I promise that as long as you're safe I will keep my distance. That is the only promise I can make Luke. I won't lose you again."_ Luke nodded, knowing that that would be all he would get out of his stubborn boyfriend, and secretly loving how he had his own protector. Luke kissed Noah once more, and even though he tried to deepen the kiss, maybe go for round three, he felt Noah pull away. Giving his boyfriend an annoyed look, Luke tried again, only to have Noah pull back once more, laughing in the process, _"even though you may have an insatiable sex drive, we can't go another round."_ Luke frowned and turned his face away, _"hey,"_ Noah grabbed Luke's chin and brought his face back towards him, _"as much as I would love to just lie here and make love to you all night long, and all day tomorrow.."_ this earned him a moan from his angry lover, _"we need to get cleaned up and open some windows, this place smells of sweat and sex, and we can't have anyone come in to this." _ Luke knew Noah was right, but that didn't make it any better, that was until he thought about the cleaning up part, as in 'shower.' Noah knew instantly what Luke was thinking, when he got what he called the 'take me' look on his face. He knew that his boyfriend would not give up so easily, so he took a deep breath, jumped off the bed pulling a surprised Luke with him, and carried his boyfriend to the bathroom, where they would spend another half hour fucking in the shower, knowing that they had to be quick.

It was 5:30 am by the time Noah had finished cleaning up their mess and airing out the room. Fortunately, they were in the Mediterranean, so the night was warm, as he opened the windows and aired out the room. He had made arrangements with Maria, to leave spare bedding hidden in the linen closet, she smiled knowingly at him, and laughed as he blushed, but she did as he asked. Noah changed the sheets, stuffing the dirty ones in the hamper full of dirty towels and clothes, for Maria to pick up in the morning. Fortunately they had taken the comforter off the bed, before they began. As the sun began to slowly creep up in the sky, Noah looked over and found Luke asleep on the plush chair next to the window, exhaustion finally taking over. He went to the chair and picked up his lover, who subconsciously snuggled deeper into Noah's chest, and let out a sigh of contentment. He placed Luke on the bed and covered him up, the room had chilled once more, once the windows had been closed and the convenience of central air kicked in. Noah couldn't help but run his fingers through Luke's hair, marveling at how beautiful he was, and how he was all his. Noah bent over and kissed Luke's still kiss swollen lips, and whispered, _"I love you Luke Snyder. I will always love you, till my dying day."_ He watched as a small smile crept unto Luke's lips, as his sleeping mind took in those words. Noah straightened up and left the room, only looking back once as he herd Luke say something in his sleep, _"No..ah…love you so much."_ Then silence, Noah turned and walked out the door closing it behind him and snuck back to the basement where they had been given cots to sleep on, a smile on his face.


	18. Chapter 18

**Well, here it is. I'm am so sorry that i haven't updated in months, but i had a good excuse. I had some health issues and this and my QAF story were put on the back burner until it was resolved. Thank you to all those who have kept up with this story. Again I am so sorry that it took so long. I can't promise that i will update soon, but i will try my best.**

**As for the formatting. I always have so much difficulty getting it right, so if you are having trouble reading this, please let me know and i will try to fix it. And if anyone knows how to fix it please tell me. I can't seem to get it right.**

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**The Search – Chapter 18**

**Mother and Son**

Luke rolled over in his bed, feeling beside him for the man he loved, only to pat an empty space. Luke opened his eyes and looked at where his hand had landed, and for a split moment he thought that he had just dreamt what had happened the night before. Tears began to fill his eyes, the pain of reality hitting him hard; that was until he noticed something hanging from the bedpost. Luke reached over with shaky hands and pulled the object off the post and held it in front of him, tears of joy running down his cheeks, as he held the green and black stripped tie Noah left hanging on the post in his hands almost reverently, and laughed as he brought the tie to his nose and inhaled the scent of the man he loved.

Luke closed his eyes and thanked God that it hadn't been a dream. That Noah had been there last night, and they had made love for hours. As Luke shifted around in his bed, he couldn't help but wince at the slight ache in his lower body. If he had just waited long enough he would have known that it hadn't been a dream, by just the way his body was deliciously aching from being thoroughly fucked the night before. Noah always did know how to make Luke's body want more and more, no matter how much he ached afterward. Luke threw himself back onto the bed and laughed and cried at the same time. He inhaled the scent on the tie deeply, closing his eyes and picturing the most beautiful blue eyes, staring down at him, as he thrust in and out of Luke's body, gently at first then in uncontrolled spasms that left Luke feeling as if he were going to die of pleasure at any moment.

Luke smiled at the memory of their night together, but was quickly pulled from his memories by the sound of his door being opened. He had just enough time to hide the tie under his pillow, when he father walked into his room.

Damian walked into Luke's room with the "Hulk" walking in behind him, he looked down at his son and noticed that Luke has been crying, _"Luciano, son, what is it? Are you in pain?"_ Luke knew his eyes and face would still show signs of his tears, and though they had been happy tears, Luke decided to take advantage of his father's worries, _"I'm just upset, Damian. You haven't let me see my mother in a while and I'm beginning to think that you're keeping something from me about her recovery. I want to see her today, please, I'll do whatever you want." _Luke watched as Damian actually cringed when Luke addressed him by his name instead of 'father.' Luke watched Damian's reaction carefully; he knew he was treading on thin ice, when he saw his father's eyes flicker anger.

Luke decided he had to control his anger and remember that there was a plan in the works and he couldn't mess it up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, they glistened with unshed tears as he looked back at his kidnapper, yes that is how he would think of him from now on, and shakily said, _"I'm sorry…father. I know you're doing what you think is best for both of us. I guess…I guess I'm just a little frustrated."_ He watched as Damian's whole body changed, he seemed to have relaxed, so he continued, _"I really am grateful for all you've done for us. I just miss her so much. I miss them all so much." _Luke knew he was pushing it with that last sentence, but he wanted Damian to know that Luke still loved and thought about his family, including Holden. Luke knew he'd hit a nerve, but kept his face clear of any emotion that would give him away.

He watched again as Damian's emotions seemed to change his whole body. As he stood there, Damian's body seemed to tense at Luke's words. It was the look of hatred that passed through his eyes that made Luke do what he did next. He grabbed both his sheet and comforter and threw them off his legs. He watched as Damian watched him, a question forming on his lips. Before Damian could question what Luke was doing, he slowly moved his legs off the bed and turned his body so that his back was to his father. He could hear Damian's intake of breath as Luke slowly began to get up. Luke knew though that he couldn't show all of his progress to Damian, so as he slowly turned and began to walk towards his father he let himself falter and began to fall when a pair of muscled arms wrapped themselves around his waist and lifted him up.

Luke felt his body shiver at the touch of the muscled monster that was now carrying him. He hadn't noticed that the orderly had moved from his position behind Damian. Luke couldn't help but want to get out of this man's arms as soon as possible, _"put me down, you ape! I don't need your help!"_ Luke watched as the orderly ignored him and looked over to his father for orders. He could feel the man's arms tighten around his waist as he seemed to bring Luke's body closer to his. Luke looked over at his father and spat out his next words, trying hard to keep his revulsion for the man holding him in check, _"DAMIAN! Tell your pet monster to put me down. Now! I am not an invalid, and will not be treated as such!"_

Damian couldn't help but smile at Luke's reference to Frankenstein's monster when talking about the giant orderly. He knew how stubborn his son was, and knew that he would not want to be coddled. Damian nodded to his son then gave the Hulk an order, "_Felipo, put him on the bed, if you will." _The orderly turned and walked back towards Luke's bed, putting Luke down gently, while moving his arm from Luke's back down towards his butt, where it lingered long enough for Luke to feel the hand grope him between his legs. Luke looked up in hopes of seeing Damian watching this, only to find that he had walked away and was standing by the window, looking out to the grounds. Luke looked up and saw the Hulk smiling down at him; it was a predatory smile, and it made Luke want to jump out of the bed and run. He did the only thing he could think of that would make the man move away from him, he called to Damian, _"father. Please, I want to see her."_

Damian turned away from the window, satisfaction over being addressed as 'father,' clearly showing on his face. _"Luciano, I was going to wait to tell you this, but I see how well you're doing, so I believe you are strong enough now to know what has happened with your mother." _Luke felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach, fear was coursing through his body, at Damian's words. All he could think was that somehow Damian had hurt his mother. Though, he knew that that scenario was unlikely, since Damian was obsessed with getting Lily for himself. It was unlikely that he would hurt her. Luke could hear his pulse in his ears, as he tried his hardest not to show his fear, he looked over at Damian and asked the question he was dreading, _"has something happened to her?"_ Damian could see the fear in his son's eyes, and hurried to reassure him, _"no, son, she is not hurt. As a matter of fact, I came here to give you some very good news."_ Damian paused for what seemed like an eternity to Luke, _"your mother is showing signs of waking up."_ This revelation earned Damian a smile from his son. He watched as different emotions crossed over his face before settling on the smile that now was aimed towards him.

Luke couldn't believe his ears. Had his mother finally convinced Damian to allow her to be awake for their next visit? Luke smiled, knowing that his mother had somehow conned Damian into believing she would do what he told her, but knowing that she never intended to go through with whatever arrangement they had made. The smile that Damian mistook as it being meant for him was really intended for Lily Snider, actress extraordinaire.

Luke took the opportunity of having Damian relaxed and happy to request seeing his mother again, _"so, does that mean I can go see her today? Please, father, I really need to see her."_ Luke held his breath, waiting for Damian to answer him. He watched as Damian smiled at him and began to walk towards him again. When Damian reached Luke's bedside he raised his right arm and gently cupped his son's face with the palm of his hand. It was a gesture he'd used before, and it was meant to comfort and show love, but at that moment it took all of Luke's strength not to pull away from the touch. He looked up into Damian's face and realized for a split second that he looked a lot like him, even though he knew he had his mother's face and fair complexion, he still found the resemblance between him and his birth father rather painful. Thoughts were running through his head as he looked into those dark eyes, _'how can he share DNA with this monster?'_

Damian took Luke's acceptance of his touch as a good sign. He looked down into his son's light brown eyes, and saw the eyes of the woman he loved looking back at him. Luke may share physical similarities to Damian, but he had the heart and soul of his mother, as well as the eyes that expressed everything he ever felt. He could see no deceit in those eyes at the moment, just trust, and that made his decision to allow Lily to be awake for their next meeting all the more exact. Damian wanted his family back, and at last he was getting his wish. He moved his hand to his son's shoulder and pressed it firmly while saying, _"yes, Luciano, you can see her today. You will have to give me some time to get her ready for your visit, but I am sure she will be as happy to see you as you are to see her."_

Damian, moved away from his son and began to walk out of the room, leaving Luke alone with his caretaker, _"I will leave Felipo here to help you change."_ Luke could see the predatory look in the Hulk's eyes and decided to act before his father left the room completely, _"father, wait. I would rather do it myself. I don't need Felipo to help me get dressed. You saw how much stronger I am now. I think I can use the cane that my PT gave me, and I can take care of myself now." _Luke prayed that Damian would listen to him; he did not want to be left alone with this monster that kept looking at him as if he were his next meal. Damian paused for a moment, thinking over what had occurred before, but wanting to please his son, _"alright Luciano, but Felipo will be right outside your door if you need help. Be very careful, I do not want you getting hurt, after all the progress you've made."_ He turned and began to walk out the door, but the orderly seemed to be rooted to his spot, staring at Luke with a mix of anger and lust, a feral smile coming across his face. Damian stopped short of walking out the door and called to the orderly to follow, "_Felipo, you heard my son. He does not need your assistance. Come."_ Luke let out a sigh of relief as he watched the orderly turn and walk out of his room.

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_30 minutes later_

Luke had allowed himself to be helped back into his wheelchair. He was after all not fully capable of walking the distance between his room and his mother's room. For all he knew it might have taken more energy than he had so rather than risk tiring himself out, he allowed them to bring him the wheelchair. As the orderly rolled him behind Damian, Luke couldn't help but clasp his hands together in an attempt to keep them from shaking. As they reached the door to the room and stopped, Luke could feel the knot in his stomach as he thought about how he had to react to his mother's 'cured' state. He knew what he wanted to do, run across the room and take his mother in his arms, but he also knew he couldn't do that, at least not yet.

As the doors opened and Luke was wheeled into Lily's room, it took all his resolve not to let his emotions show on his face. He and Lily had been corresponding via letters so he knew she was alright, but he had to be sure to paste a look of surprise and concern on his face so his father wouldn't see through their ruse. As they passed through the vestibule and into the main room Luke's closed his eyes turned towards the bed where he knew his mother would be, where she had been every time he came to visit her. Luke was almost afraid to look, afraid that he would see her still form again lying in the bed. As he held his breath, he knew he would have to open his eyes, but before he did a voice full of love and concern called out to him and brought him back to reality, _"Luke, baby…open your eyes. It's okay." _

Luke's eyes shot open and tears began to blur his line of vision. He closed his eyes for a split second more, allowing the tears to roll down his cheeks as he took in the sight he thought he would never see again, his mother with outstretched arms, beckoning him to come to her. Before he knew what he was doing Luke was standing up from the wheelchair and slowly making his way towards his mother's arms, he allowed himself to collapse into them while his body shook with his crying. Luke cried for his mother, brothers, sisters, father, and especially for his Noah, all the while Lily held her grown son in her arms and soothed him the best she could, just as she had done countless times before, _'ssshhhhh, baby…it's okay. It'll all be okay now."_ Luke just held his mother tighter as the sobs wracked through his body. He could hear the tears in his mother's voice as she rubbed his back in circular motions, a technique she used on him when he was a small boy, and had woken up with nightmares after his kidnapping. He knew that for now, they would have to work harder to get away from the maniac who claimed ownership over both of them. But for now, just being together was enough.

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Please review and tell me what you think.


	19. Author's Note  NOT a Chapter

*Author's Note: Please note that due to computer difficulties, it may be a while before I can post the next chapter. I promise to update this as soon as possible. Please forgive the delay. Hope you will continue to read when I can get it posted; I WILL get this story finished. Thanks for reading!*


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **_hello to those who have stuck with this story. I would like to start with an apology for how long it took me, but as I stated on nukefic I didn't think anyone was interested. I didn't really get a sense that anyone wanted me to continue with it. I am determined to finish this story, I adore Nuke and want those who were reading and enjoying the story to have a good ending. I really do hope that there are some out there who still want to read this, if not, I'll finish it anyways. I've given myself a goal and I hope to stick with it._

_I will be attempting to update on the weekends. I say attempting, becaue sometimes life gets in the way and we can't always control what happens. I will try my best though._

_I really hope those who are still interested will like this new chapter, I worked hard to get it done and hope I can live up to expectations._

_Last but not least, please review and tell me what you think. It would mean the world to me if you let me know if I still have your interests peeked. Thank you._

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**The Search – Chapter 19**

**Reunion**

Luke held onto his mother as if he were afraid that if he let go she would disappear and this reunion would have been a dream. He held onto Lily's small frame and cried as he hadn't cried since childhood. He remembered the last time his mother held him like this, and again it was due to something Damian had done to them. It seemed as if the man would always be there to hurt them in the name of his own warped sense of love. Luke could hear his mother's soothing voice and feel her small hands rubbing circles on his back and he began to feel better. That was until he felt another pair of hands on him.

Damian had silently walked up behind him and was now pulling Luke away from his mother's grasp. He knew it would be pointless to fight him but his reflexes automatically made him hold onto his mother tighter. Luke was scared that if he let go, he then would wake up. It wasn't until Lily whispered in his ear that he began to slacken his hold.

"_Luke, baby…its okay, I'm not going anywhere. Remember the plan."_ Luke let himself be pulled away by his father. He looked into his mother's eyes and saw her usual determination and strength. Only when Damian had called his name three times did Luke break eye contact with his mother and looked up at his captor, trying his hardest to hide his hate for the man.

Damian stepped back from his son's initial look of hatred. He was shocked to see that instant of pure unadulterated hate cross over his son's features, only to be gone a second later. Perhaps he was just seeing things, he thought. Damian blinked and looked back down at his son, _"Luciano, you need to be back in your chair. Remember what your therapist said about overdoing it, son."_

Luke wanted to scream, punch and kick at this man. How dare he try and sound so concerned when it was him who put him in the chair in the first place. Lily still had a hold of her son's hand and could feel him clenching his hand into a fist. She knew Luke's temper and if she didn't interfere she knew Luke would do something he would regret.

Lily placed the hand that Luke wasn't holding on her son's back and could feel the tension building in his muscles, _"Luke sweetie…listen to your fa..ther,"_ her voice tripping over the last word, _"he knows what's best for you right now."_ Luke turned his head away from Damian and looked into his mother's eyes, reading the true meaning behind her words in her eyes. They had always been able to communicate that way, which sometimes, as Luke recalled, freaked out Holden. It was as if they could read each other's minds.

Luke released his mother's hand and turned to stand up. Before he could fully raise himself from the bed, he was being lifted into the muscled arms of the orderly. He couldn't help but feel his body shudder at the other man's touch, which of course caused the orderly to smile. Luke fought against the muscled mass, _"put me the fuck down…NOW."_ Luke struggled vainly in the arms of the orderly, it seemed the more he struggled the more the man tightened his hold. It became clear to Luke that the man/monster derived some sick pleasure from Luke's struggle. He could see it in his eyes.

As Luke looked into the man's eyes, trying his best to show him he wasn't afraid he saw something there that scared the shit out of him. Looking into this man's eyes was like looking into a soulless creature. He seemed to have no color but black in his eyes and Luke couldn't hold the gaze any longer and had to turn his head away. He was still in this monster's arms and could feel the chuckle rumbling through his chest. A chill ran down Luke spine and he couldn't stop his body from shivering, which in turn made the Hulk hold him closer to his chest. As the man holding Luke placed him back in his chair Luke had to fight the urge to jump out of the chair grab his mother and run.

Luke closed his eyes and thought about Noah, and their reunion. He couldn't stop the tears from running down his cheeks, as the feeling of utter happiness washed over him. Luke's reverie was broken by the sound of his father's concerned voice, _"Luciano, son, are you in pain?"_ Luke opened his eyes and looked into Damian's eyes, for a minute getting lost in the true concern he saw there, only to be brought back to reality when movement behind Damian brought Luke crashing back to the here and now, as he looked into the soulless eyes of the monster standing behind him. Luke took a deep breath and tried his hardest to keep his voice steady has he answered Damian, _"Yes, father, I'm fine. Just got lost in the happiness of the moment." _

Damian took in his son's pale face and trembling form and wondered if he was being totally honest with him. For now, though, Damian decided to let it go. He knew that Luke had been through a lot in one day, and that probably had something to do with his jumpy state. Damian kneeled in front of his son, a sense of guilt coming over him at what he has done to his own flesh and blood. That guilt lasted but a few seconds, as he told himself that everything he's done was for his family's own good. No, Damian Grimaldi did not feel guilt.

"_Luciano, perhaps this day has been too much. You can come back later and visit you mother."_ Luke's heart beat raced as he thought of something to say, something that would keep him there. _"No, father, I'm fine, really. Please don't send me back to my room. It's been so long since we've seen each other, I need more time. Please." _Luke held his breath as Damian looked into his eyes, searching for what Luke knew was lies. He did his best to smile at his father, _oh how he hated using that word to describe him_, he reached out and took Damian's hands in his and tried his best to sound sincere. _"We're a family now. You and mom are all I have left, please let me stay a while longer. I need this more than you could know."_ Luke watched as Damian's face softened and he smiled at Luke's words about them being a family. Inside, though, Luke was screaming obscenities at the man in front of him.

Lily, sat on her bed, her right hand hidden under her covers was clenching and unclenching as she watched Damian kneel in front of her son. When Damian spoke of taking Luke back to his room, Lily was about to protest when Luke beat her to it. She had been so grateful that he had been the one to speak, since she was certain that her emotions would have given her away. She watched in fascination as Luke was able to smile and speak tenderly to the man who had taken them away from all they loved. Her son was truly a great actor. Though Lily could see the truth in her Luke's eyes, Damian seemed oblivious to the hate radiating from them, it seemed as if Damian was seeing only what he wanted to see, and Luke's hate was something he never wanted to see again.

Lily couldn't keep silent any longer; she had to speak with Luke without Damian listening in on their conversation. It was now her turn to test her acting skills, _"Damian…my… love. Can I have a few minutes alone with our son? Please I promise that it won't take long."_ Lily, stumbled through the words 'my love,' but Damian again seemed to be hearing only what he wanted to hear. She watched as he stood from his kneeling position in front of Luke and walked over to her bed. Lily knew that whatever he was about to do, she would have to take it and pretend not to be repulsed by his touch.

Damian sat down on the bed next to Lily. He took her left hand in his,_ "Cara, I do not think it a good idea for the two of you to be left unattended." _

Lily put on her best game face and smiled at the monster in front of her. She removed her right hand from below the duvet and cupped his cheek. It took all her will power to do what she did next, but she closed her eyes and thought about the love of her life, Holden. Lily slid her hand around Damian's head and around the back of his neck. She slowly brought Damian's face down to hers and pressed their lips together. She heard Damian gasp in surprise as his lips pressed more forcefully onto hers. It was not her intention to let this kiss go further than a small peck, but it seemed to be Damian's every intention to do so. She could feel his tongue pushing against her lips, trying to gain access into her mouth. She was not about to let that happen, though. Lily pulled away from Damian, seeing a flash of anger and confusion cross over his face; she quickly went to diffuse it, _"Please, not in front of Luke and the orderly." _ Though she may hate the man, she once loved him, and knew his expressions. Before he could speak again, Lily tenderly touched his cheek once more and leaned over to whisper in his ear, _"We have all of our future together for more intimate touches. For now, let me go slowly….please." _

Luke watched as his mother talked lovingly to Damian. He could feel his blood boiling as he watched her bring Damian down for a kiss. He wanted nothing more than to turn away, but something kept his attention focused on the scene playing out in front of him. Luke watched as Lily seemed to be trying to push Damian away, only to have him tighten his hold on her. His mother's ability to diffuse a situation always amazed Luke. Though as he watched Damian tense when Lily was finally able to pull away, Luke feared maybe this time that skill would not work, only to have Lily whisper something into Damian's ear that seemed to calm him down instantly.

Damian stood from the bed and looked down at Lily, his eyes full of lust. Luke watched as Damian took a couple of calming breaths before he turned to him, _"Luciano, your mother is right. The two of you need some time to talk. I will be right outside the door and will give you 15 minutes to reminisce." _

Luke watched as Damian and the Hulk walked out of the room. He was ready to leap out of the chair and run to his mother's bed when she stopped him with a hidden message in her next sentence, _"Luke, sweetie, why don't you roll your chair closer to me. I don't want you to have to strain your legs any more then you need to." _Luke looked over at his mother and again they spoke to each other through a look. He could see her warning in her eyes. He nodded and did as he was told, and wheeled himself towards her bed. Once there though, Luke stood up and sat down on her bed beside her. He couldn't help but fall into her waiting arms and let the tears he's been holding in out once he felt her soothing hands rubbing circles on his back, just like she used to do when he was a little boy and scared of the monsters under his bed. Only this time, the monster was right outside the door.

Lily tried to soothe her son the best she could. She could feel his body shaking as he silently cried into her shoulder. She knew how hard this had been for Luke. To wake up and once again have your worst fears realized. Damian had been merciless by taking Luke's fear of losing the ability to walk and using it to try to control him. She couldn't imagine the terror that must have gone through him when he realized that once again he couldn't use his legs. _God_, how she hated that man for putting Luke through that torture. The thoughts of what Luke must have endured with whatever that man Krieger made her want to scream. How was Luke going to get over this betrayal? She knew that Luke had to release the emotions he'd been bottling up, but they didn't have the time for it, so as hard as it was for her to do she began to push Luke out of her embrace, _"Luke, I know this is hard, but we have to talk before he returns. Please, baby, I know how difficult it has been for you, but I need you to keep your emotions in check and not let him know how much you hate him." _

She watched as her son's tear stained face clouded over with hate at the mention of the man who did this to them. Then she watched as her son took a deep calming breath, closed his eyes and put on what she liked to call his 'game face.' It amazed her how much like Holden he could be at times, with his kind loving heart, but times like these she saw herself in him. She also saw much of Lucinda's influence as well, when he turned from sweet loving Luke, to boardroom Luke, where he took no prisoners. Lily couldn't help but smile as her son wiped away his tears, opened his eyes and showed her that he could do as she asked and not let Damian know that they were onto him. _"Good. Now, we only have a few minutes, so tell me what you know."_

Luke leaned into his mother, getting as close as possible in case someone was listening by the door, _"Noah came to me last night."_ Lily smiled as a blush took over her son's face and he looked down at his hands and avoided looking her in the eye. Now as she looked closer she could see an almost glow radiating from him, that she hadn't seen in a long time. Lily cupped Luke's chin and raised his face to look at her, _"Luke, I'm so happy for you. Please never be embarrassed to show me your love for that wonderful boy…no man." _Lily laughed as Luke's eyes widened in understanding, _"Sweetheart, it's written all over your face. You just mention his name and you seem to glow. I'm so happy that you two have a second chance."_

Luke smiled at his mother, getting over his embarrassment quickly. He couldn't help but hug her once more. This woman always seemed to amaze him. As he pulled away he knew time was running out, so he whispered again, _"Mom, Noah said there's a plan in the works. Something about a banquet and some explosives." _ Lily nodded, she had received more details from Maria early that morning and had to tell Luke before Damian returned. "Yes. Damian is having a party in a few days." She rolled her eyes and had to swallow the bile rising in her throat as she spoke the next words, _"to reintroduce us to the 'important' people here as well as the family. He wants everyone to see his __**'perfect'**__ little family, and to know that the Grimaldi heir is back to __**'reclaim the throne,'**__ as it would be."_ Luke couldn't help the hatred that showed up on his face. He wanted to strangle Damian and send the rest of the Grimaldi's to hell_. "Is he out of his mind? Really? Does he think that I'm just going to play good little son and take my place by his side?" _ Lily could feel Luke's body trembling with anger; she had to calm him down before Damian came in and found him in a moment of weakness that would have Luke exploding in anger.

"_Luke, please you need to calm down. I can feel the hate and anger radiating off of you. If Damian comes in and finds you in this state he's going to get suspicious." _ Lily watched again as her son took a calming breath. His face took on a look of serenity and she wondered what it was that could make him go from explosive to calm in a few seconds. Then she watched as a small smiled formed on his lips and she knew, he was thinking of Noah. That young man was the only person that could bring Luke down from one of his anger fits. Sometimes she watched as a simple touch on his shoulder from Noah could instantly calm her son. It was an amazing trick, she thought at the time, and wished she'd had Noah around years ago when Luke was a child and was throwing a tantrum.

Luke opened his eyes and saw that his mother was knowingly smiling at him. It seemed he'd been caught thinking about the love of his life. He couldn't help but smile back at her, communicating again without words. Thinking about Noah to help calm him down was a trick he'd learned during one of his meetings at the foundation when he was dealing with a potential contributor who did not like the idea of funding gay rights. He was just about to lay into the homophobic prick when he closed his eyes, much to the consternation of said prick, and instead of counting to ten thousand, since 10 just would not be enough; he thought about his wonderful boyfriend who had just brought him lunch and some 'afternoon delight' in his office right before his meeting. Luke found that just thinking about those eyes and that smile calmed him down enough to send the man to hell, but in a professional manner, of course.

Luke couldn't help but chuckle at the look his mother was giving him, _"You can always see right through me, can't you?" _ Lily laughed too, _"Well you did get this goofy smile on your face, so I figured only one person has ever made you smile like that. I'm your mother; I know __**all **__your looks, and that one I like to call the 'Noah smile'. It was always my favorite."_

Luke looked over at his mother and couldn't help the blush that took over his face. He couldn't help but look away, but as he did he noticed the clock on her bedside table. It seems there time was almost up and they had so much more to talk about. In a rush of breath he asked his mother, _"Mom, the party, are there any specific instructions that we need to know?" _ Lily looked at what Luke was staring at while he was talking to her, and her it felt like her heart dropped. She had noticed the time that Damian had left the room, and it seemed as if Luke had also. She gripped her sons hand and brought his attention back to her, _"Luke, get back in your chair. Nothing can seem out of place."_

Luke leaned in one more time to give his mother another hug before he moved from her bed to the chair. Lily still had his left hand in hers as he sat down, she realized she did not want to let go. Luke looked at her, begging for an answer to his last question, knowing they only had a few minutes before they were interrupted again. Lily looked at the door then to her son, she leaned over as much as she could and whispered, _"Your father will send word on what time the people that are helping him are going to set off the explosives and where we should be. This is going to happen fast and we need to be prepared to run and get out of the mansion before all hell breaks loose."_

They both sat up straight as they heard the door handle being turned. Fortunately this was a very old house, built by the first Grimaldi's generations ago, and the humid Mediterranean air made the doors a bit noisy. Damian, walked in to find his son and wife holding hands and just looking at each other. There seemed to be sadness in each of their eyes, but he just attributed it to them knowing they would be parting again.

Luke felt a chill run down his back as he felt the orderly come in and stand behind him. It was as if the man radiated a cold wave of evil whenever he walked into a room, especially one that Luke was in. He had not told his mother about what he knew this man wanted from him. He didn't want to worry her. But as an uncontrolled shiver ran through his body and he could almost feel the blood drain from his face, he couldn't help but close his eyes and try to imagine it was Noah standing behind him. When he opened his eyes he could see a look of worry on his mother's face as she looked at him then up to the man who was openly leering at her son. There was something terrifying in the way he was watching Luke, and it only took her a moment to realize what it was, lust, unbridled lust, and it made her want to scratch his eyes out of his head. She looked back at Luke and could see that he knew, and that something had already happened to make him afraid of this man. Lily was not about to let this man touch her child in any way, and just as she was about to inform Damian of this fact she felt Luke squeeze her hand. She looked at Luke and saw him pleading for her not to say anything, with his eyes. She squeezed back and gave him a look that asked if he was sure, and with just a slight nod of his head, one that no one but she noticed he said, _'yes.'_

Damian seemed oblivious to all that was happening around him. It was as if he was looking through a warped glass that only allowed him to see what he wanted to see, his perfect, beautiful family. He shook himself out of his reverie and knew that what he had to say next would not go over well with either Luke or Lily, _"I am afraid it's time for you to go back to your room, Luciano. It has been a long day and you need your rest." _ The moment the words came out of his mouth Luke began to shake his head, _"No, please father, just a little longer. Please."_ He could hear the tears in his son's voice as well as see his eyes begin to water, but he had to take control, they could not see any weakness in him, or he would lose the fearful respect they have for him. Damian looked at his son and wife, who had yet to let go of each other's hands and spoke again in a firmer voice, _"NO! It is time for you to go. I gave you your time together without me, now you must do as I say, or I will not allow you to visit again." _

Lily could feel her son's hand clench painfully on hers but she didn't show it. She squeezed his hand back and decided to speak before Luke's anger got the best of him, _"Luke, sweetie, it's alright. We'll see each other again tomorrow. Right Damian…my...love?" _ Again she could feel the bile rise in her throat as the man looked at her with lust in his eyes. She knew that she had promised him that she would cooperate, and she knew what it was he wanted from her. What he didn't know what that she had stashed away some of the sleeping pills he had given her and she planned to take one as soon as he left. She knew he had business to attend to before he came back to her, and hopefully she would be knocked out by then.

Lily felt Luke's hand pulling away from hers as his chair began to be pulled back. They each held on as long as they could before only their fingertips touched and then nothing but air was between them. She watched with tearful eyes as her son was wheeled out of her room. She looked up at the man who had done this to them and couldn't help but show her hatred of him. To her surprise, Damian smiled as he leaned in closer to her and whispered, _"I have fulfilled my part of our deal, Cara, tonight will be your turn." _ With that he stood up straight and turned away from her as he walked out of the room. Lily couldn't help but grab the nearest object by her, the dreaded clock, stood up from her bed and threw it against the door he had just closed. She dropped back onto her bed and screamed into the pillow.

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_Luke's room later that evening_

Luke paced back and forth in his room, hoping that his mother would find a way to thwart off Damian's advances tonight. He was neither stupid nor blind and he could see clearly the look of want in Damian's eyes when he looked at his mother. He could only hope that she had come up with a way to get away from him, at least for the next few days. It was late and he knew he should be in bed asleep, he had been given a sleeping pill by Damian, but as soon as he had left the room, Luke ran into the bathroom and threw it up. Luke felt as if he was going to go crazy if something didn't happen soon. He was standing by the windows that led out to the terrace when he heard the lock clicking open. He was rooted to the spot, afraid that the orderly had once and for all decided not to wait, when the figure that came through the door was instantly familiar to him, even in shadow. Luke couldn't help but run and jump into Noah's arms, his body trembling with the fear he had just moments ago.

Noah caught Luke in his arms with a hrrumph, not expecting the blonde to just leap onto him. He couldn't help but smile; that is until he felt his boyfriend shaking in his arms. Noah wrapped his arms tighter around Luke's back as Luke wrapped his legs around his boyfriend's waist. Noah knew what had scarred Luke and he wanted nothing more than to take that fear away. Noah walked them the short distance to Luke's bed and gently laid Luke down on top of the duvet as he unwrapped his boyfriend's arms from around his neck and raised his shirt over his head, all the while never taking his eyes off of Luke's. He watched as the fear in Luke's eyes was replaced by desire, as Luke watched him strip, knowing it was one of Luke's favorite things to do.

Luke felt his body shiver, but unlike earlier, this shiver was very welcomed. Watching Noah undressing always made Luke hornier then he'd ever been, and Noah knew that. Luke couldn't help but voice his feeling for this man who knew just what to do to make Luke feel safe again, _"God I love you…so much."_

Noah couldn't help but smile at his boyfriend, knowing that he would love this man for the rest of his days. At least Luke if allowed it. They still had a lot to talk about, but for now, Luke seemed a little overdressed for the occasion, and Noah made sure to point that out to his leering boyfriend, _"So, is this a team sport or am I the only one that's going to be naked here?" _ He watched as Luke came out of whatever fantasy he was currently in involving a naked Noah and realize what Noah had just said. It seemed faster then he'd ever think possible, but Luke was naked before Noah even saw him move. Noah couldn't help the look of want that came over his features as his eyes raked over Luke's naked body. He had learned from an inside source that Damian had left in a huff and wouldn't be back for hours, seemed as if Lily's plan worked. So he and Luke had hours of lovemaking and good old fashioned fucking ahead of them.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N** Hello to those who've actually kept up with this story. I can apologize profusely and beg forgiveness, but I know that I did wrong by not updating sooner.

I am so sorry, but between life itself and a few surgeries I just lost all my oomph for writing. I had the worst case of writers block that I've ever had. I hope this messures up for the lack of updates in I don't even know how long.

This is mainly smut and some tears in between our boys, but I really hope I did it well. I left it hanging but have already started the next chapter. I only have weekends available to write so it may be a while, but I promise to try my hardest to update this.

Thank you all for all your support.

**p/s this is unbetaed and in my rush to get it out I didn't really reread it. So any mistakes are my own, and I will look it over again and if I need to I will repost it.**

**pps: i reworked the format. hopefully this will be easier to read.**

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**The Search – Chapter 20**

**Reunion part 2**

Luke watched hungrily as Noah stood next to his bed staring down at his naked body and licking his lips. Luke felt as if Noah didn't move right now and do something he would come before he was even touched. His eyes raked down Noah's swimmers body and settled on his prominently engorged cock. He couldn't help but lick his lips as he stared at Noah's cock, smiling when he saw it twitch in reaction to his intense gaze.

Luke couldn't hold back his praise, "God Noah, you're so beautiful." Luke reluctantly moved his eyes away from Noah's cock and looked into his boyfriends eyes. He watched as Noah looked down and blushed.

Noah, could feel his face heat from the intense look Luke was giving his body, but when he heard the words Luke breathlessly whispered out, he could feel the blush creep all the way to his ears. It was hard for Noah to get past the voice in his head that sounded dangerously like his father, telling him that men aren't beautiful, and that he shouldn't be feeling happy to hear that coming from Luke's lips.

Noah pushed that voice out of his head and basked in the love that was emanating from his lover's eyes. He raised his head and looked straight into Luke's eyes, trying his best to show him all the love he was feeling for him.

Noah watched as Luke smiled seductively at him. He watched as Luke did the one thing that always went right to Noah's cock. Luke had this way of looking at Noah, it was so quick most people wouldn't even catch it, but one day Noah noticed it, and since that day, he always did his best to get Luke to do it again. Noah watched as Luke's eyes flicked from Noah's eyes to his lips then back to his eyes. It was as if Luke couldn't help but look at Noah's mouth.

Noah knew as soon as Luke's eyes did the 'eyes, lips, eyes' thing, as he liked to call it, it wouldn't be long before Noah found himself covered in Luke with his lips and mouth thoroughly plundered by Luke's beautiful mouth.

Luke lay on the bed looking up at his gorgeous boyfriend, wondering what was taking him so long. He could tell Noah wanted him, at least if his very hard and leaking cock was any indication. Luke watched his boyfriend's face waiting for him to move, but Luke was never a very patient person, "Noah, if you don't fuck me now, I'm going to start without you."

Noah smiled, he should know better than to make Luke wait. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at his boyfriend, "Oh really…well I guess I can just sit back and watch." At the look of total indignation on Luke's' face Noah couldn't help but laugh. That was until he watched Luke's hand travel slowly down his own body, first stopping to tweak his own nipples, emitting a deep moan while arching his back off the bed.

Noah swallowed hard as he watched Luke's hand travel further down his body, stopping right at his cock. Luke's fingers curled around his member, moving up to the tip and stroking it with his thumb, using the pre-cum as a lubricant as his fist stroked back down his shaft. Luke moaned again, and Noah is sure he's going to die if he didn't touch him.

Luke's eyes are closed as he strokes his cock slowly, so he doesn't notice when Noah had finally moved. That was until he felt Noah's hand on his, stopping his up and down motion. His eyes flew open and he found himself staring into his boyfriend's lust filled blue eyes. Though at the moment if he hadn't known Noah's eyes were blue he would have wondered. Noah's pupils had blown wide, only a small ring of blue was visible. Luke almost came just seeing the look in Noah's eyes.

The raw lust written all over his face made Luke even harder, if that was possible. Luke watched as Noah removed his hand off his cock and replaced it with his own, working his thumb into his cocks' slit, which by this time was oozing with pre-cum, and using it the same way Luke had, as a natural lubricant to help his progress up and down Luke's cock.

Luke threw his head back, arched his back off the bed, and bit down hard on his lip in effort not to cry out from all the pleasure Noah was giving him. But when he felt his boyfriends wet mouth around his cock, he almost came undone. Luke felt the tears coming down his cheeks before he even registered he was crying.

Noah looked up from his position between Luke's legs, hoping to find his boyfriend coming apart from pure rapture. What he didn't expect was to see tears streaming down Luke's face. He pulled off of Luke with a resounding pop, scared he might be doing something wrong.

Noah worked his way up Luke's body, his thumb wiping away the tears that were still falling. He looked into his boyfriends eyes, scared to ask, but wanting to know, "Luke, baby, did I hurt you? I know you're still recuperating. I can slow down if you need me to."

Luke couldn't stop the tears. He loved this man so much. He couldn't let him believe that he hadn't been enjoying what Noah had been doing, or that he had hurt him. Luke cupped Noah's face, stroking his thumb across his cheek, feeling the morning stubble growing in.

God how he loved it when Noah would rub his stubble cheek across Luke's just shaved one in the morning, it always made him horny and late for work. Luke was brought out of this thoughts when Noah said his name, his voice hitching, "Lu..ke?"

Luke smiled and raised himself up enough to kiss his lovers lips. What was going to be a chaste kiss, though, turned into something else when he realized he could taste himself on Noah's lips. Luke moaned, using his tongue to lick Noah's lips, then worked he worked it between Noah's lips and found his way into his mouth.

Luke loved how Noah tasted, but somehow tasting himself in his lovers mouth made it so much more personal. It was as if they had become one.

Noah took Luke coming undone under him as a statement that Luke wasn't hurting. Luke was always the most vocal of the two, but when in the throes of passion he always seemed at a loss for words. But Noah learned how to read Luke's body language, and this was definitely 'I want you to fuck me now,' sign.

Noah couldn't help but smile into his boyfriend's mouth as he felt Luke wrapping his legs around his waist and bucked his hips up trying to somehow get Noah's cock inside of him.

Noah had made a decision before he entered Luke's room, and he was not going to let his boyfriend's frenzied hip rolls distract him from what he should have done a long time ago.

Noah pulled away from Luke's mouth, earning a whimper from his boyfriend, who seemed to want to follow Noah's mouth as it moved away. He took a deep breath, trying hard not to come from just looking at Luke's lust blown eyes and kiss swollen lips. He pushed Luke back down onto the bed, watching as Luke's face contorted into one of confusion.

Luke was always so expressive in just his facial expressions alone, and Noah could see his boyfriends' confusion as to his actions. Before Luke could say anything though, Noah was placing his index finger onto his lips, stopping him from speaking.

Instead he looked into the eyes of the only man he will ever love and said, "Luke, you know how much I love you. It has taken something as horrible as this situation to make me realize how selfish I have been." Noah watched as Luke's eyes widened as he shook his head, "hush…I _have_ been selfish, there's nothing you can say that will change that. But…I…I hope to make up for it some tonight."

Noah took a deep breath and began to move away from Luke. He sat up on the bed and grabbed the massage oil sitting on Luke's nightstand table. As Luke watched Noah straddled him, placing his legs on either side of Luke's body. Luke was speechless; he didn't dare move, afraid of frightening Noah.

Luke watched as Noah took the oil and poured it on his fingers, never once taking his eyes away from Luke's. It was as if they were locked into each other's eyes, afraid if they looked away for even a second this beautiful dream would evaporate.

Luke watched as Noah moved his oil covered hand behind himself. He watched in fascination as Noah slowly inserted one finger into himself, wincing at the discomfort. Luke couldn't take it, he new Noah was new to this and didn't want him to do something that made him uncomfortable.

"Noah, baby…you don't have to do this. I know you love me, and I know that you want to pleasure me, but…"

Noah once again brought his fingers to Luke's mouth stopping him in mid-sentence. All the while still working his entrance with his other hand, now adding a second finger and scissoring himself open. He couldn't stop the tears from running down his face as he smiled at his lover.

"I want to do this. I know I we've tried before and I couldn't get that maniac out of my head long enough to let you inside, not just my body but my mind, but you have to know… Luke, that I love you so much, and I want this. I want to feel you inside me. I want to give myself entirely to you and you alone. I want you to know, that…that…oh, God, this feels great…I mean that I want you to have all of me."

Luke huffed out a small laugh at his boyfriend's inability to keep his mind on track. He must have found his sweet spot.

Luke watched as Noah's eyes involuntarily closed from the pleasure he was giving himself. He couldn't help but want to let him continue on this new found ability to pleasure himself, but he wanted to be inside that tight heat so badly, he thought maybe it was possible to die from blue balls.

Luke reached back and grabbed Noah's arm, stopping his motion, and earning a whimper from his boyfriends mouth. Again, Luke couldn't help but laugh a bit, "Noah, baby, we'll explore this new fondness of yours when we have more time."

Noah blushed and looked away from Luke, making Luke almost regret his words. He wouldn't let Noah believe that what he did and very much enjoyed was in any way wrong. Luke took hold of Noah's chin and turned his face to look at him.

"Noah...you have to know how turned on I am right now. Watching you fingering yourself is about one of the hottest things I've ever seen. I want to continue watching you, and someday soon, we'll have plenty of time so that I could join in on the fun. But, baby if I don't get inside you soon, my dick may be permanently damaged."

Noah, laughed at this and Luke couldn't help but smile as Noah bent over and kissed him deeply, whispering into his lips, "that's a promise I intend to be sure you keep."

Noah sat back up and reached behind him to grasp Luke's leaking cock. Rubbing what remaining oil was left on his hands thoroughly onto his boyfriend's hard cock, gaining a deep moan from Luke's mouth. Noah lined up Luke's cock with his entrance, never once taking his eyes off Luke's. He lifted his hips then brought them down, breaching his entrance and feeling it burn.

Luke's hands had moved to Noah's hips, holding him up as he slowly lowered himself onto Luke's cock, every few inches stopping to allow his body to adjust. Luke could see the pain in Noah's eyes and tried to pull out, thinking maybe now wasn't the time to try something new, but Noah wasn't having it.

"No Luke, don't pull out…just…just give me some time to adjust. I knew this wasn't going to be easy."

With that Luke could feel Noah once again lowering himself at a maddening slow pace, but Luke wasn't going to rush him. He knew how big a deal this was for Noah, and he had every intention of making it perfect; even if it did kill him.

After a few attempts and reattempts Noah was finally fully seated on Luke. He sat there for a few minutes letting his body adjust. Trying to get past the burning sensation of being stretched and filled, to the pleasure he knew was right around the corner.

He hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes until he heard Luke's voice over the pounding of his heart in his ears, "Noah, bubby….open your eyes. I love you so much, baby, please open your eyes for me."

Noah opened his eyes to see Luke looking at him with so much love on his face that it made Noah's breath hitch. Luke had tears running down the side of his face as he looked up into Noah's eyes. He took a deep breath, remembering the breathing techniques he had been taught in therapy and relaxed.

Just doing that alone made Noah realize how good it felt to have Luke inside him, and he knew if he didn't move now this was going to end way too quickly.

Noah lifted his body up feeling Luke's cock sliding out of him just to the tip, then brought his body back down, sliding up and down Luke's cock. Noah couldn't help but want to kiss Luke as he watched his boyfriend concentrate on not moving, giving Noah all the control.

He leaned over and took Luke's full lower lip between his teeth sucking and biting it at the same time, causing Luke to buck his hips up, and changing the angle of his thrust. Luke knew he'd found Noah's prostate when his boyfriend screamed into his mouth.

"Oh. My. God…Luke…"

Knowing that Damian was not home was a relief but they still needed to be careful, so Luke did the only thing he could think of, and took his boyfriends face in his hands crashing their mouths together, and swallowing every moan and scream that came out of Noah's mouth as Luke pounded up into his body, while Noah pushed down onto Luke's cock.

They were sweating and moaning and Luke was sure he was going to combust if he didn't come soon, but he wanted to watch as Noah did first. Luke flipped them over, so that Noah was on his back, at the same time bringing Noah's legs up to wrap around his waist as he pounded harder and faster into his boyfriend, hitting his prostate with each thrust.

Reaching between them he took Noah's now rock hard cock into his hands he began to pump him in time with each thrust he made into him.

Luke couldn't help but whimper as he felt Noah contract onto his cock. He couldn't stop the words from flowing freely out of his mouth.

"God, Noah, you're so fucking tight, baby. I need you to come for me, Noah. I need to feel you to milk my cock with your tight ass."

Luke new Noah's little secret. He knew that his boyfriend loved a little dirty talk when they were fucking or making love and he knew this would send his boyfriend spiraling into the abyss.

Just as he predicted Noah's body reacted to his dirty words and Noah came harder than he'd ever come in his life. Shooting streams of come on both Luke and himself, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his ass clenched tightly around Luke's cock.

Luke let go of Noah's spent cock and almost bent his boyfriend in half holding his own upper body up with his arms, as he brought their mouths together into a all encompassing kiss as Luke continued to pound into Noah, his body no longer in rhythm, causing his hips to just stutter and continue the onslaught into his boyfriends clenching ass, causing Luke to fall into his own abyss seconds later, filling Noah with his come.

It seemed like forever before his body stopped spasming into his boyfriend's body. When he finally stopped Luke's arms gave out and he fell in a heap on top of Noah's body. He just couldn't seem to care that he was lying on top of his cum covered boyfriend, probably gluing them together when the cum dried.

Luke found enough strength to pull out of Noah, causing them both to moan at the sensitivity of it, but knowing he had to move or they would be stuck that way. He rolled over beside his now very quiet boyfriend. Luke realized now that Noah hadn't really spoken since he pulled out and was beginning to worry that he had somehow hurt him.

Running on pure adrenaline Luke turned his body over to face his boyfriend. He sat up and leaned over Noah's prone body, looking him over and seeing that his eyes were closed yet tear tracks were running down the side of his face.

Luke was horrified. What had he done? He had lost control at the end and possibly had hurt Noah. He tentatively reached out and turned Noah's face towards him, noticing the huge smile that seemed to have appeared on Noah's face. Luke breathed out in relief, and couldn't help but smile with him. He still wanted to hear Noah tell him he was alright though.

Gently he stroked Noah's cheek as he asked the question looming in the back of his mind, his own insecurities setting in, "Noah, was I any good?"

At that, his boyfriend's eyes shot open. He looked into those beautiful chocolate eyes full of fear that he had in some way not pleased Noah, and he wanted to kick himself for putting that insecurity there.

With a lot of effort, Noah turned over onto his side to face Luke, his body protesting the movement. He reached up and cupped Luke's cheek, gently thumbing his lips as he looked deep into his eyes and smiled.

"Luke…you were amazing. If I could move I'd ask you to do it again, and again, and again."

Luke blushed and looked down and away from Noah's penetrating look, causing Noah to take hold of his chin and lifting his face so that they were once again looking into each other's souls.

Noah leaned over and captured Luke's lips in a gentle kiss, lest he get too excited and turned on again too soon. He pulled back and watched as Luke's face turned from insecure to happy and smiling once again.

Noah knew he had to work hard to keep that smile on his boyfriend's lips, and he intended to devote the rest of his life in doing so.

He gently moved hair that had fallen onto Luke's face back as he told spoke the words he knew Luke needed to hear, "Luke, you are the most beautiful, intelligent, most wonderful partner anyone could ask for."

Noah watched as Luke's eyes watered as he said the word 'partner,' but he had to keep going, "I hope that someday I can help make any insecurities I may have inadvertently caused you to have go away. You have to know that if I could go back and change all I've said and done in the past I would."

Noah had to stop, he had to take a deep breath and center himself, this was the most he'd ever given of himself and he knew that it was a long time in coming.

Luke was about to speak, Noah knew, to tell him he didn't have to continue, but he did, "no Luke, you don't get to let me off the hook. I treated you horribly for too long, and I almost lost…you."

Luke watched as his boyfriend, no, partner, brought down the walls he had built around himself, and he couldn't help but want to cry. They had suffered through so much, but now they would come out on the other side whole. He reached up and wiped the tears from Noah's cheeks as he leaned over and kissed him.

Noah, smiled into their kiss, knowing this was Luke's way of trying to help him through his problem of never being able to express his feelings. From somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered once telling Luke he wasn't as good with words as Luke was.

Well, not anymore, he thought…not tonight. Tonight he would tell Luke how much he loved him, how he was so happy that he given himself to Luke, and that they would spend the rest of their lives making up for all those months, years, of pain. If only he could just vocalize his thoughts.

Luke could see Noah struggling with himself, trying to find the right words. He wanted to help him so badly, but he knew this was something Noah felt he had to do. So no matter how long it took, he would wait.

Noah, found his center again, and he realized that that center was Luke. That each time he closed his eyes and began to do his centering exercises it was Luke's face that always calmed him down. Noah saw the patience in his boyfriend's eyes, and knew the words he had to say.

"Luke, you are my soul mate, the love of my life, and the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know we have so much to work through, and I know that currently it's not been legalized in Illinois yet, but…"

Luke's eyes widened as he listened to Noah, hoping he knew where Noah was going with this but not wanting to jump the gun.

"…Luke Snyder, will you marry…"

Before Noah could even finish his question he found himself with Luke on top of him as his body was slammed back onto the bed. Noah couldn't even finish his question due to the fact that Luke's tongue was currently invading his mouth.

He laughed as Luke moved from his mouth to his cheeks, all over his face, down his neck, and then worked its way down his body, all the while in between kisses Noah could make out, "yesyesyesyesyesyes…oh God yes…!"

Noah stopped laughing though when Luke's mouth started kissing his now spent and very sensitive cock. He didn't think it was possible but he felt his cock twitch, trying to get hard again. As much as he wanted that, he wanted to look into his _fiancée's_ eyes more.

Noah reached down and brought his beautiful fiancé back up to face him, and noticed the tears falling freely while Luke's face beamed with the brightest smile he had ever seen. Noah couldn't help but smile back.

"I didn't even get to finish my question, Luke. So, even though I know the answer, I would still like to properly, well, as properly as one can naked, propose."

He sat them both up so that they were seated facing each other and he took Luke's hands in his. Taking a deep breath he began again.

"I know this is probably the most unorthodox marriage proposal ever, and I plan on taking you out once this is over and ask you on bended knee in front of your family…our family, and even though I don't have a ring. Luke Snyder will you do me the honor of being my husband?"

Luke let out a choked noise and launched himself on Noah once more, causing the other man to almost fall of the bed with his arms full of Luke.

Luke cried into Noah's shoulder as he answered with a muffled noise, "yes, Noah, a thousand times yes. I love you so much, bubby."

He pulled away and smiled at his fiancé and noticed that he wasn't the only one being overly sentimental, as Noah now had tears in his eyes. Luke laughed and tried to lighten the moment, "and I'm holding you to that promise of getting down on one knee…in front of 'our family,' and asking me again."

Noah, couldn't help but laugh at his ridiculously romantic boyfriend…no _fiancé _"that's a promise I intend to keep."

They lay back down on the bed wrapped in each other's arms as they watched the sky become lighter through Luke's windows, knowing that Noah would have to leave very shortly, but not wanting to separate.

Noah heard Luke sniffle and felt his tears on his chest where Luke had laid his head. Noah stroked Luke's hair and knew that it was almost time to go. He kissed the top of Luke's head, then reached down and lifted Luke's chin so that he could once more look into those beautiful eyes. His own tears being held back, trying to be strong for the both of them.

He leant down and kissed Luke with all the passion he was feeling, and as he pulled away he said, "this will be over soon, my love. One more day before the party and then you and your mother will be home."

Luke could only nod, knowing that if he spoke he wouldn't be able to control the sobs that wanted to escape his throat. Noah smiled sadly at him, but knew that they wouldn't be parted for much longer.

Noah realized that with everything they had gone through that night he had forgotten to mention something very important to Luke, and he had to be sure Luke knew before he left the room.

"Luke, I forgot to tell you something…got a little…sidetracked."

Luke laughed at his choice of words.

"Your dad is here Luke. He's in the mansion with me."

Luke was stunned by the news. He knew that Damian would recognize his father in an instant if he saw him.

"What? Is he crazy?

Noah, Damian would recognize my father in a crowded concert hall! Please tell me he wasn't foolish enough to come here."

Noah could see the panic begin in Luke's eyes; he knew that he had to calm him before his Luke decided he needed to find his father. He knew Luke's fear for his Holden's safety would overcome his better judgment.

"Luke…listen. You're dad is nothing if not resourceful. Trust me when I say, that Damian wouldn't recognize him if he was standing right in front of him."

Noah could see the doubt in Luke's eyes, so he continued, "you're dad has been made over to look nothing like himself." Noah was beating around the bush, and Luke was beginning to give him the look Noah knew very well, the 'get to the point now,' look. Noah laughed, which may have been the wrong thing to do, when all of a sudden a pillow had hit him in the face. Noah brought his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay…I'll tell you. You're father is dressed….as one of the maids."

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**I hope this will warant some reviews. Thanks again.**


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